“Oh no, don’t be sorry. Besides, it was a long time ago. We were young, and I knew that she wouldn’t stick around. She never wanted to settle down in Friendship. We were high school sweethearts, but it was never meant to be. Emily is a gift, though, and my life wouldn’t be the same without her. I thank God for her every day. She keeps me on my toes.” I laughed thinking of the conversations we’ve had. Emily made me laugh constantly. She kept me young.
“So you don’t talk to her or anything?” Samantha seemed surprised.
“Nope. She’ll write once in a while. She travels a lot. That’s what she always wanted to do. But it’s not a thing, if that’s what you’re asking.” I answered honestly. I liked Samantha, and even though she wasn’t staying in Friendship—she was just visiting—being the real me was important.
“Well, that’s really amazing of you. There aren’t a lot of stories like that, where the dad is the full-time caregiver. Having an eight-year-old girl must be funny.”
“She’s a riot. She cracks me up every single day.” I wanted to talk about Samantha, not Emily, so I changed the subject. “So, what about you? What’s your story, Samantha from Florida?”
“My story? Gosh, I don’t know. I’m not into winter. We established that already. I love coffee, long walks on the beach?” she joked.
“What do you do for a living?”
“I’m an editor. I read novels for a living. It’s a quiet life really, but filled with amazing stories. I love it. What about you?”
She was smart and beautiful. Of course. “I’m a mechanic, and I also have a small plane that I use for recreation and occasionally take passengers out and about. In fact, your sister booked a flight for this week, did she tell you?”
“She did not! That sounds wonderful.”
“Well, don’t tell her I ruined the surprise. I won’t tell you anything else about it, so you can pretend to be totally shocked.” I laughed.
“The secret is safe.” She smiled. She took a sip of her hot coffee, wrapping both hands around the mug. She was beautiful and charming, and as we continued chatting, I felt at ease with her, more so than with anyone in a long time. In fact, I had to remind myself several times it wasn’t a real date. She was just on vacation, and it was just coffee.
I hadn’t dated much after Emily’s mom left. Not that I was heartbroken or anything like that, but I was busy with a baby. We had broken up before the baby even came and just agreed to terms that worked for both of us, but the thought of dating was the furthest thing from my mind.
As time went on, I’d gone out with a couple of lovely women here and there, but I wasn’t looking to jump into a marriage, and the girls I’d gone to school with around here wanted to get married and have kids, and I already had one.
My parents helped with Emily until she was about five, when they retired north. They came down a lot, but before they left, we were a team of three raising my daughter. Anyway, the dating scene turned pretty dry over the years, and seeing someone seemed out of the realm of possibility without moving, which I just wasn’t going to do.
Samantha and I talked a bit more. She told me some of her favorite things that her family does for Christmas, and we realized we would be at many of the same events.
“It’s very nice to meet a new friend here. Family is great, but this is pleasant,” she said.
“Well, it seems that we’ll be seeing a lot of each other this week. So tell me, in the spirit of the season, what’s was your favorite thing about Christmas growing up?” I asked.
She checked her watch. “I really should be going, Jason. We’ve got the open house and holiday lights party tonight, and I need to help my sister get ready.” She stood up and began zipping her coat.
“Okay, well would you like me to drop you off? It’s on my way.” I didn’t want our afternoon to end, but I could also tell that something was wrong, and I wanted to fix it.
“Oh no, that’s not necessary. I have one more quick stop to make before heading home. And I have my sister’s car. I’m sorry to rush off, but I gotta go. Thank you for the coffee, Jason. It was lovely chatting with you, really.”
“You’re welcome. I’ll see you later then,” I called after her as she rushed off. I definitely said something that upset her in some way, and it was gnawing at me.
I paid for the coffees and was headed back to my truck across the square, when I ran into Gabe yet again. I wasn’t in the mood for one of his weird talks about love, and I definitely didn’t want to talk about Samantha with him. I felt like he pushed me in the wrong direction there. It was a total waste of time to get hung up on a woman who didn’t even live here.
“Jason! How was coffee?” he called out to me as I walked by.
I’d intended to ignore him and keep on walking, but I couldn’t. I stopped, turned around, and addressed him. “Hi there, Gabe.” I waited a moment, trying to choose my words. “What’s your deal?” I asked.
“What do you mean?” he asked, innocence in his tone.
“I mean, why are you trying to get me to spend time with Samantha? Who is she to you? She doesn’t live here and isn’t planning to. In fact, she pretty much hates winter, so what is going on here?”
“Things aren’t always what they seem, Jason.”
“You’re just going to talk in riddles?” I was exasperated.
“Samantha is special. What she feels deep inside and what she tells you aren’t the same yet. But they will be,” he said.
