Frank appeared in the kitchen doorway. “Is there anything I can do to help?”
“Just enjoy the company,” Paul said. “We’re about ten minutes out from plating everything.”
“Then I’ll open the wine.” Frank moved to the cabinet where he kept a few bottles, selecting a red that would complement the ham.
In the living room, the conversation had shifted from Matt to Kathleen’s upcoming book club discussion, Isabel’s plans for a new reading program, and the quilt Susan was making.
Paul listened while he worked, enjoying how they supported and teased each other in equal measure. To him, that was what true friendship was. People showing up for each other, creating space for both grief and joy, refusing to let anyone shoulder their burdens alone.
And Susan had brought him into this circle. Not as an outsider or a guest, but as someone who belonged.
The realization struck him with unexpected force as he transferred the ham to a serving platter. For three years, he’d lived in Sapphire Bay without truly joining the community. He’d been friendly with his customers, professional with his suppliers, but he’d maintained careful distance from genuine connection.
Through Susan, he’d met her friends who’d become his friends. Through her, he’d learned that isolation was a choice he no longer wanted to make. Through her, he’d discovered that family wasn’t limited to blood relations. It could be built deliberately, and carefully, with people who chose to show up for each other again and again.
“Paul?” Susan’s voice pulled him from his thoughts. “Are you all right?”
He looked up to find her watching him with eyes that saw more than he sometimes wanted to reveal. “I’m better than all right,” he said honestly. “I was just thinking about how grateful I am.”
“For what?”
“For this. For you. For the fact that you opened your heart to me.” Paul set down the carving knife and crossed to where she stood. “I spent years convincing myself that solitude was enough. That if I kept my world small enough, controlled enough, I could avoid getting hurt again.”
Susan’s hand found his. “And now?”
“Now I know that avoiding pain also means avoiding everything that makes life worth living.” Paul glanced toward the living room where laughter had just erupted over something Kathleen had said. “This is what home feels like. What family feels like. And I have you to thank for showing me it was possible.”
Susan’s eyes glistened with unshed tears, but her smile was radiant. “You would have found that sense of peace eventually.”
“Maybe, but it wouldn’t have been the same without you.” Paul pulled her close, needing this contact, this reminder that she was real, and present, and his. “Thank you for being patient with me. For not giving up when I was too scared to admit what I wanted.”
“You’re worth the patience,” Susan whispered against his chest. “You’re worth everything.”
They stood together in the warm kitchen, surrounded by the aromas of Christmas dinner and the sound of friends enjoying each other’s company.
“Okay, you two,” Isabel called from the doorway. “Whatever tender moment you’re having can continue later. Right now, we’re all starving, and that ham smells too good to wait any longer.”
Paul laughed and released Susan, who blushed prettily but didn’t look away from him. “Yes, ma’am. Tommy, do you want to help me carry everything to the table?”
Tommy hurried into the kitchen. “Can I carry the ham?”
“The ham’s a little heavy, but you can bring the bread pudding when it’s time for dessert. Deal?”
“Deal!”
Together, they carried the platters and bowls to the dining room table. The scene was almost too perfect—candlelight reflecting off good china, evergreen branches arranged down the table’s center, and faces bright with anticipation and affection.
Paul took his seat beside Susan, Tommy on his other side, and looked around the table at the people who’d somehow become his people.
“Shall we say grace?” Frank asked, and everyone bowed their heads.
As Frank offered a simple prayer of thanks, for the food, for health, and for the blessing of friendship and community, Paul added his own silent words. He was thankful for second chances. Thankful for finding courage when he’d thought he had none left. And mostly, thankful for Susan’s stubborn refusal to let him hide from life any longer.
When Frank finished and everyone echoed “Amen,” Tommy turned on some Christmas music and lunch began.
“Paul, this ham is extraordinary,” Kathleen said after her first bite. “What’s in this glaze?”
“Honey, brown sugar, Dijon mustard, and a secret ingredient I’m not at liberty to share.” Paul smiled when Susan nudged his foot under the table. “My grandmother would haunt me if I revealed all her secrets.”
