“No worries,” Landon reassured her. “You didn’t say anything that isn’t true.”
Landon had grown up with an MIA father. It was something he had accepted a long time ago. Those years hadn’t been easy, but having a relationship with Red now had allowed him to process that void. He didn’t excuse his father’s absence, but he wasn’t bitter or angry. And for that he was thankful. He didn’t want to walk around with a hardened heart.
“He looks a lot like Xavier, doesn’t he?” Landon posed the question to Bailey as he jutted his chin in Red’s direction. His father and Xavier had similar builds and features. It was always a bit jarring to Landon, since Red hadn’t been a fixture in their lives.
“He does, but I see a little bit of you in him as well.”
His relationship with his father had come a long way since his return to Alaska. They still had a lot of work to do in order to catch up on all the lost years, but Landon now had a better understanding of why his father had dropped the ball with him and his brothers. He wasn’t angry at Red any longer. They had settled into a peaceful relationship. Itwas one of the biggest benefits of coming back home. He now had a father, one he could talk to and get advice from. It was far from perfect, but it worked for Landon.
Landon caught his dad’s attention, and they waved and smiled at each other from across the room. Suddenly Red was the center of attention in the midst of the large crowd.
Sitting next to him in her wheelchair was Hattie, looking up at him with eyes full of adoration. “Good evening, everyone,” Red said, projecting his voice. “I just wanted to grab your attention for a few minutes to thank you for coming to Hattie’s holiday party. As you know, she’s always happy to kick off the Christmas season. And her motto’s always been ‘no Grinches allowed.’” Everyone began chuckling.
“So, without further ado, my mother, Hattie Stone.”
All the guests began clapping, a few of them even chanting her name. In the past, Landon had noticed, Hattie would stand up from her wheelchair, but tonight it was clear she didn’t have the energy to pull it off. Dressed in an emerald green dress with rhinestones at the collar, Hattie looked fun and festive. “Good evening, my beloveds.” Her voice was raspy and weakened. “You have no idea how much joy it brings me to see all of you here tonight. If I could have fit the whole town in my house, I would’ve invited everyone. But this evening has brought me so much happiness, and I’m so thrilled to host all of you.
“It may not come as a shock to you that my illness has reached a point of no return. Well, no one knows the time or the hour. But I do know that the good Lord is calling me home sooner rather than later.” A hush settled over the room, as if everyone was processing her words. “And in thatspirit, I want to announce that I have the final bucket list that I’m hoping you all will help me accomplish.”
Bucket list? Hattie hadn’t mentioned anything about a bucket list before. A murmur of surprise spread through the room. Even his father looked a little surprised, as did his brothers and Jacques.
“And now,” she said, pulling out a piece of paper from inside the bosom of her dress, “I’m going to read it to you. Number one… I want to play the slots in Vegas one more time. Number two… I want to play in a good old-fashioned hockey game. Alaskan style. Number three. I want to eat a chili cheese dog with all the fixings.”
Laughter broke out in the room. Leave it to Hattie to make people laugh in the face of her impending death. It took a certain skill to do that.
“Number four,” she continued, “I want all three of my grandsons to be settled in their romantic futures.”
A chorus of oohs and aahs broke out in the room. Landon nearly choked on his crab cake. Hattie had been looking straight at him and Bailey when she’d said it, clearly sending a message. She was really pulling out all the stops, wasn’t she?
“And lastly, I want to jump out of an airplane.”
Shocked gasps could be heard in the room. Hattie’s shoulders began to shake with laughter. She waved her hand at the crowd. “I’m just teasing. There’s no way in the world I would ever want to do that. I’ll leave that to the under-eighty crowd.” She let out a little cackle.
Landon looked over and caught Caleb’s eye. He was shaking his head. Hattie was on fire. It just showed that nothingcould really suppress the human spirit. She was still alive and kicking.
“My last item is that I would like to get married one last time.” She batted her eyelashes. “But I’m on the old-fashioned side, so it’ll have to be someone proposing to me as opposed to the other way around.”
Landon glanced over at Jacques. His face was a bit ashen. Clearly he hadn’t seen this coming. This was just like Hattie, he thought. Shock and awe with a little razzle-dazzle thrown in.
“So I’d like everybody to continue to drink up and eat to your heart’s content. Dessert will be out in a few moments, but I want you to continue to party your little hearts out. If I head to bed a little early, I’ll just bid you good night right now, everyone.” Jacques quickly came forward and began to wheel Hattie away from the main room. Landon imagined that she must be bone tired. He would love to be a fly on the wall so he could hear what Jacques had to say about her wanting to get married.
“Wow,” Bailey said, her expression awestruck. “That lady sure knows how to make an exit.”
“Ain’t that the truth. I don’t know how she always manages to blow us all away, even in a weakened state,” Landon told her. The pride he felt to be Hattie Stone’s grandson threatened to burst out of his chest.
“Well, as Hattie always says, ‘I may be dying, but I’m still living.’” Bailey had a huge smile etched on her face. He could just hear Hattie saying those words, and it made him smile too.
“She does say that a lot, doesn’t she?” Landon asked. Thatslogan gave a snapshot into Hattie’s life philosophy. She never felt sorry for herself, and she always made the most of every moment. Hattie had taught them all so much about living one’s best life even when handed major curveballs.
“That would be a great T-shirt,” Bailey said in a teasing tone. “I bet we could print some up and make a bundle.”
Landon found himself grinning at the idea. It wasn’t half bad as far as ideas went. “As a businesswoman, Hattie would wholeheartedly approve of that idea.”
“And she would be the first one to proudly wear it.”
For the next hour they mingled among the guests, for the most part sticking together so that everyone viewed them as a couple. Bailey got along well with True and Sophia. They were huddled together in the library at one point, talking up a storm.
Caleb sidled up next to him and peered into the room. “I would give anything to know what those three are talking about.”
