“It’s not the Christmas treats I’d like, but thanks for the offer. In five months, my landlord’s selling the house I’m renting. I’ve got a few months to find another place to live, but I’m struggling to find anything.”
“Have you checked with Pastor John?” Jackie asked. “He has a list of houses that are available to rent.”
“I talked to him, but most of them are snapped up within hours of being advertised.”
Jackie thought about the other options Daniella could consider. “Have you thought about buying a house?”
“I wish I could, but I can’t afford it right now.” Her voice was strained with worry.
“Listen, if the worst comes to the worst, you can always move in with me until you find something. My house is small, but I have a spare bedroom.”
“Really? That would be amazing!” Daniella hugged Jackie tightly. “Thank you so much.”
“You’d do the same thing for me,” Jackie replied with a smile. “Now come help me coat these marshmallow Santas in coconut.”
As they continued to work together, the conversation turned to Aidan. “It’s only been five days since he left, but I miss him so much,” Jackie admitted.
“It’ll be okay. He’ll come back,” Daniella reassured her as she sprinkled coconut over a batch of freshly dipped marshmallow Santas.
“I’m not so sure. He seems happy in Manhattan. The first thing he did was visit Starbucks.”
Daniella smiled. “That sounds like something he’d do.”
Jackie had thought the same thing. “Sometimes it feels like there’s a hole in my heart that’ll never mend.”
“Let me tell you a story,” Daniella said. “Hopefully, it’ll distract you from what’s happening with Aidan. Before I arrived here, I used to move around a lot with my previous job. Over time, I lost contact with my family and friends. Before my brother passed away, he made me promise to find somewhere to live and stay there for at least three years. At the time, I thought he was crazy. But, after spending my first few months in Sapphire Bay, I understood why. This town is special. Between the people, the scenery, and the business opportunities, there’s so much to do. If my brother could see what I’ve achieved, he’d say he told me so. And do you know what happened to the hole my brother left in my heart?”
Jackie shook her head.
“It filled up with all the good things I’ve found here. Aidan’s special to you. Nothing will ever change that. If he’s too busy trying to save the world, let him. It might be his way of filling a hole in his heart, too.”
Jackie sighed. “I never thought about it like that. Apart from living in different cities, what was your life like before you moved here?”
“I worked in an advertising agency. I handled multi-national and international accounts. There weren’t many days when I was at home.”
Jackie opened another bag of coconut. “If you’re worried about not having enough money to buy a house, have you considered working part-time in the advertising industry? You might be able to do most of the work from Sapphire Bay.”
Daniella shook her head. “The Fairy Forest keeps me far too busy.”
Just then, Daniella’s cell phone rang, and Mabel’s voice crackled through the speaker. “I’d like to get into The Fairy Forest early today, Daniella. It’s important we get the treats for the audience inside before the other teams arrive.”
“All right, Mabel. I’ll be there soon,” Daniella promised, ending the call. Grinning at Jackie, she said, “It looks like the fun’s just beginning! Are you ready to take all these Santas into town?”
Jackie looked around the messy kitchen. “I guess so. I’ll tidy everything when I get home.” She handed Daniella a stack of containers and gestured toward the table. “The Santas on the baking sheets need to go into these containers. The rest just need the lids snapped into place.”
After carefully placing all the containers into three bags, Jackie and Daniella bundled up their winter coats, ready to face the excitement of the Christmas Carol Competition.
When the tables were full of the Christmas treats, Jackie was going to take a photo and send it to Aidan. They might not have a Starbucks in Sapphire Bay, but theydidhave a community that knew how to bake delicious treats.
CHAPTER21
Jackie found a seat beside Paris as the Sapphire Bay Community Choir marched into the performance space inside The Fairy Forest.
“They’re so cute,” Paris whispered.
Jackie grinned. With their brown antler ears, bright red T-shirts, and happy smiles, they looked adorable. Even Mr. Jessop looked the part with his freshly shaven face and proud expression. “I hope it goes as well as Mabel expects.”
“It won’t matter. It’s the experience that counts.”
