First, there was Micah. She’d believed they had something special. Not just a unique relationship unlike any she’d experienced before, but the kind of love that would last through the ages.
They were so different–him with his dry humor and sarcasm and her with her bright, cheery personality. She appreciated his subtlety, and he admired her friendliness. Having a man who was exactly like her would be exhausting. But snuggling up to Micah’s grumpiness was a relief–which sounded strange, but she didn’t have to try to cheer him up; he was content. Even if he wasn’t over the top, he was steady.
She liked steady.
Sighing, she tried to push thoughts of him aside as she rearranged a display so it didn’t look so sparse. He hadn’t called, texted, or visited since their argument. Even though, at the moment, she was angry and said things, she could see his side. Lizzie was an innocent child, and adults always made sacrifices so that children could have wonderful, magical Christmases. His comment about finding a woman he thought would make those sacrifices with him told her he’d been thinking long term–just like her.
The second item on her naughty list was her Christmas wish. Even now, it stayed out of reach, as if it understood that it’d caused problems. It was the wish’s fault that she and Micah argued and broke up. She knew that. But she didn’t gather it close because she was afraid her wish wouldn’t come true. That the house on the corner would go to Lizzie–or neither of them. It wasn’t like Nick was forthcoming with information. The two texts she’d sent him went unanswered.
It wasn’t Kringle-like to ghost her, and she hoped everything was okay. He’d had that weird chest pain and had gone pale at the pageant. Also–very un-Kringle-like. The whole thing added up to the worst Christmas–ever.
“Why don’t you go home?” Charlotte offered Esther. Her employees traded Christmas Eve shifts yearly, so they only had to work one in four. They never complained about being stuck here until closing, and she adored them for their enthusiasm.
“Are you sure?” she checked the small digital wristwatch. “Harry and I didn’t plan anything for tonight.”
Charlotte took the roll of wrapping paper out of her hands. “Which means you have a big day tomorrow and need rest. I got this.” She waved a hand, indicating the general state of chaos around the store. There was one more customer who didn’t seem to be in a hurry to leave. An older man with a shock of white hair and a maroon cardigan, he considered each item with care. Despite his last-minute shopping, she loved that he was so careful about the gifts he picked.
“If you’re sure…” Esther was halfway to the office, where her coat and purse waited.
Charlotte forced a chuckle. “Go! And have a Merry Christmas.” She moved to the back of the store to start cleaning up there.
“I’m flipping the sign!” Esther called on her way out the door.
“Thank you,” Charlotte called back. She set to work, purposefully overthinking the job so she wouldn’t think about Micah.
“Excuse me? Can you ring me up?” asked the customer.
Charlotte had forgotten he was there. Embarrassed to be caught unaware of the only customer in her store, she hurried to the front. He laid three nativity scenes on the counter–one porcelain, one olive wood, and one for a child with plastic pieces.
“What a wonderful selection,” she complimented him as she wrapped each box. Taking some extra time, she pleated the wrapping paper and folded it fancy.
His troubled eyes lit up when she set the first one on the counter. “That’s a work of art.”
She warmed. “Thank you. You came at just the right time for some extra attention.”
His weathered cheeks lifted. “I just pulled into town. My daughter lives here, and I haven’t seen her for,” he paused and swallowed, “a long time.”
Charlotte smiled softly as she set the next box on top of the first. “There’s no time like Christmas for a reunion.”
He nodded. “I couldn’t come up with a gift for her or her family. Then I saw the nativity scenes. I realized this wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for Jesus–so….” He lifted a shoulder as if that said everything.
It had. Charlotte’s eyes misted over, and she wrapped the last package using muscle memory because she couldn’t see past the tears.
Jesus wasn’t just the reason to celebrate Christmas–He made it possible to celebrate every year. What hope would they have of a Merry Christmas if He hadn’t been born in that lowly stable?
Because of Him, she hoped everything would work out for her. Perhaps she wasn’t going to get her wish. Maybe Micah would move, and she’d never seen him again. Even if all that happened, and she had many more years of being single at Christmas ahead of her, the Lord would sustain her. He did when Dad passed away, and He could do it now, too.
Charlotte taped the last edge of the wrapping paper and put a pre-tied bow on top of the gift. She handed it to the waiting customer with a smile. “Have a Merry Christmas,” she said. For the first time today, the greeting didn’t sound hollow in her ears.
“I will.” He put on his pageboy hat and nodded to her as he took the extra-large gift bag by the handles and pushed out the door.
With her last customer gone, Charlotte locked the front door and turned off the lights under the awning. She turned to see her shop in end-of-season disarray. Stockings hung askew, glitter covered the floor, rolls of wrapping paper poked out of their display, and the train had come off its rails.
“I’m not a complainer,” she said out loud as she squared her shoulders and went to work. Normally, she’d hum along with the tunes piping overhead. Valerie Remmington was one of her favorite holiday voices. Seeing her perform live last year was a treat, and having her married into the family was an even bigger blessing.
She could call Val… No. She and Ethan were doing family things tonight, and it wasn’t right to pull her away from her new husband and stepson just because Charlotte wanted girl talk.
She could call her mom. But that also seemed like a bad idea. She hadn’t told her about the fight with Micah and didn’t want to. Mom’s mother-bear instincts were big and fierce, and while she appreciated them, she didn’t want to unleash them tonight.
