When she smiled, a warmth spread through his chest. “It’s good to see you again,” he said. “I didn’t know you’d be here.”
“I didn’t think to mention it,” she replied, placing her knitting needles aside. “But I’m glad you’re here.”
“So am I. It sounds as though you’re doing a lot of wonderful things in the community.”
Mabel leaned forward. “A lot of people need our help. We’re trying to make a difference in whatever way we can.”
Aidan nodded. “From what Pastor John told me this afternoon, you’re making a big impact.”
Paris pointed to a seat opposite her and Jackie. “And we’re always looking for volunteers. Even if it’s only for a few months.”
“We’d love to have you on board,” Pastor John added as Aidan took a seat. “But before you make any commitments, you’d better tell the group about the fundraisers you’re organizing. I have a feeling you’ll be too busy to do anything other than those events for the next few months.”
Aidan cleared his throat and looked at everyone’s expectant faces. “Pastor John invited me to your meeting. He thought it was a good opportunity to keep you up to date with BioTech’s plans for a fundraising event before Christmas and the official opening of an adventure camp for children who wear prosthetics.”
Mabel smiled. “David mentioned BioTech was interested in supporting the community. Whatever you can do would be gratefully received by everyone.”
“I’m glad you feel that way. We were thinking of having a pre-Christmas gala in Sapphire Bay. There’d be Christmas music, a catered meal, and an auction that will benefit the adventure camp and The Christmas Wish Program.”
Jackie frowned. “No one knows who organizes the Christmas wishes. Will you be able to keep our identities a secret?”
“That won’t be a problem. BioTech will give John the donation and tell everyone he’ll make sure the check gets to the program.”
Mabel placed her hand over her heart. “That’s a big relief. You don’t know how difficult it is keeping all our wonderful adventures to ourselves.”
Paris nodded. “You wouldn’t believe the number of people who come into The Flower Cottage after they see me delivering a gift. Everyone wants to know who’s in charge of The Christmas Wish Program.”
Aidan opened the folder he’d brought with him. “We won’t tell anyone the names of the people who are in this group. If we need to talk about The Christmas Wish Program and Santa’s Secret Helpers, I’ll run everything past John first. I’ve made a spreadsheet of some ideas for each of the events. If you have other suggestions on how we can make them better for the community, I’d love to hear them.”
Over the next ten minutes, he shared a more in-depth look at what BioTech proposed. Everyone seemed thrilled that he’d approached Daniella for a quote for using The Fairy Forest as the venue for the Christmas fundraiser.
Halfway through his discussion, he pulled out a pen and notebook and started taking notes. Everyone had ideas about what he could do and how both events could work.
As they continued to bounce ideas off each other, Aidan felt a sense of belonging wash over him. The people here tonight were dedicated to making the world a better place, one small act of kindness at a time. Being a part of this group would make anyone’s life richer and more meaningful.
When their discussion ended, everyone invited him to stay for the rest of the meeting.
“You never know,” Paris said half-jokingly, “You might want to be an honorary Santa’s Secret Helper after you’ve organized the two events.”
After their enthusiastic response, he didn’t have the heart to tell them he wouldn’t be here for much longer. Unlike the other times when he thought about going home, tonight it left him feeling hollow.
His newfound friendship with Jackie would be over before it began. Even if they wanted to spend more time together, long-distance relationships rarely worked. Especially when they both had busy lives.
Pastor John rubbed his hands together. “All right, let’s get started on our next topic. With Christmas just around the corner, we have a lot to cover tonight.”
As the meeting continued, Aidan listened carefully to the secret gifts the group planned to give to people in the community—food packages, toys for the children, a mobility scooter, and warm clothes for the people who arrived at The Welcome Center. The list was endless.
Through it all, he heard the soft click of Jackie’s knitting needles as she created another small outfit. And made another dream come true.
* * *
The next day,Jackie stood outside the fourth cottage on Anchor Lane, waiting for Penny to show her inside the building.
Wrapping her scarf tighter around her neck, she admired the wide front porch and the wood siding painted a cheerful shade of yellow. Snowflakes gently fell, dusting the ground and the eaves of the cottage with a delicate white blanket.
“Sorry I’m late,” Penny said as she approached the cottage, her breath visible in the crisp winter air. “Diana needed an extra pair of hands to help at the inn. Checking-in our new guests took longer than we thought.”
“That’s okay. I haven’t been here long.” Jackie had met Penny more than a year ago. Moving back to Sapphire Bay had been a big decision for Penny and her sisters—especially after the sudden death of their grandmother. But renovating their grandparents’ home into a boutique bed-and-breakfast business was the best thing they’d ever done.
