“I… I did.”Her mother opened the fridge and stared inside without reaching for anything.“It was just too much house for one person.The Barbers are a great family with little ones to enjoy the backyard.”
“I know.”She failed to hide the sour note in her voice.“I met them.”
Her mother spun around with her mouth agape.It took her a moment before she was able to speak.“Is that how you found me?”
Felicity nodded.“I was so shocked to see this other family living in our home.”
“I’m sorry.I wanted to talk to you about it, but you were so busy.I had a hard time getting ahold of you.I should have tried harder to reach you.”
“Yes, you should have.”She didn’t recall her mother ever even hinting that she wanted to sell the house.How could she do it?
A rush of anger pumped through her veins.The drink of coffee she’d had churned within her stomach.She wanted to yell at her mother.She wanted to let out the raw pain and the feeling of betrayal.
And yet when she looked at her mother, she saw the pain she was feeling reflected back at her in her mother’s eyes.It calmed her riotous emotions.Whatever her mother’s motives for selling their home, it appeared it hadn’t been easy on her.Right or wrong, it somehow gave Felicity a bit of comfort to know the decision hadn’t been made lightly.
She pushed aside her coffee.The anger was still gnashing away in the pit of her stomach.She opened her mouth to say something else, but the words caught in the back of her throat.In her mind, she could hear the echo of her father’s voice:Don’t lash out in anger.
She wordlessly closed her mouth.She had to simmer down before they continued this conversation.Because at this moment, she couldn’t calmly ask her mother how she had just sold off her father’s workshop and all the memories of him.It was too much.
And as upset as she was, she didn’t want to say something she couldn’t take back.Because as things stood, they only had each other.Somehow, this Christmas, they had to find a way back to each other.
The only problem was she didn’t know if it was possible.Was the canyon between them too wide?Was the depth of their anger too deep?
She glanced at the time on the microwave.She needed to get moving if she was going to arrive at the bookshop early.There wasn’t enough time to continue this conversation.
Felicity headed for the closet.She opened it and grabbed her coat.She called over her shoulder, “I have to get to the bookshop.”
“But I was going to make you breakfast.”
“I don’t usually eat in the morning.”And then she rushed out the door.
Tears pricked the backs of her eyes.She blinked repeatedly.She refused to fall apart.Keep it together.She inhaled a deep breath, held it, and then blew it out.She honestly didn’t know if her relationship with her mother would ever recover.
It was only after she was outside the apartment building that she was able to take her first full breath.How could her mother be happy about someone else living in their home?Didn’t she miss it?Didn’t she miss the banister that her father repaired numerous times over the years or the window in the living room that would get stuck in the summer when the humidity was high, and her father would somehow get it open so the evening breeze would blow through the house and cool things down?
The tears rushed back to her eyes, blurring her vision.She shouldn’t have come home.She didn’t know why she thought coming back to Kringle Falls was a good idea.It wasn’t.
Chapter Seven
Itwasalmosttimeto go home.
Correction: It was almost time to go to her mother’s apartment.
Later that afternoon, Felicity finished checking out a customer.It was someone from out of town.Even though she didn’t know the woman, she enjoyed telling them about Kringle Falls.Felicity suggested the woman check out the lights at the waterfall in town.It was such a beautiful sight.
After the woman left, Felicity glanced around for the next thing to do.But the new books had been placed on the shelves, and the shelves behind the counter had been organized.So, for a moment, she stared out the window at the gently falling snow.
Jingle Bell Books was the only place where she could relax.When she was in the bookshop, she felt like herself.Maybe what she needed was to contact her old friends.
She thought of her lifelong friends, Holly and Belle.Guilt assailed her for not preserving their relationships.When she was in New York, she’d let herself get so caught up with her work that it wasn’t just her relationship that suffered, but she’d lost contact with her oldest friends.
When she’d come home for her father’s funeral, they’d reconnected, and she’d promised that she wouldn’t let the distance come between them again.She’d failed to keep her word.After her father’s funeral, she’d been a mess.In an effort to avoid the grief, she’d thrown herself into her work.It kept her distracted—perhaps too distracted.
Connie stepped out of the office.When she saw Felicity, she smiled.“How are things going?”
“We just sold a tourist guide to New England and a book on the history of Kringle Falls.”
“That’s great.I always love when tourists make it in here.We actually get more than you would think at this time of the year.Most are here for the skiing and take a side trip to visit our Christmas town.”Connie made her way behind the checkout counter.“Did they happen to mention where they were from?”
