Page 21 of This Christmas

“Let me know if you see anyone snooping around. I mean it. You have my card. My cell number is on it.”

She nodded. She’d actually programmed his number into her phone just in case she needed it in the future.

“Good.” He hesitated like he wanted to say more, then simply nodded once and stepped out into the cold.

She closed the door and leaned against it for a second, listening to the sound of the wind outside. She hadn’t realized until now how much she’d missed having someone else around since she’d left her mother’s place. A calm presence, a steady voice. An adult to talk to.

The next morning, sunlight filtered weakly through gray clouds, bouncing off the drifts of snow that lined the road into town. The storm had passed, leaving everything blanketed in white and looking so clean. Charlotte was bundled in her pink snow boots and a puffy coat and hat. She was chattering nonstop as Ally parked in front of the Brew-Ha-Ha.

A wave of warm air hit them as they stepped inside. The scent of roasted coffee made her instantly crave a cup. The shop buzzed with laughter and children’s voices.

“Aunt Faye!” Charlotte called when she spotted her behind the counter.

Faye looked up, smiling as she wiped her hands on her apron. It was still a shock to Ally to know that her sister could actually hear now. She smiled whenever she was reminded.

“Well, if it isn’t my favorite niece,” Faye said, sliding a kids cup onto the counter toward them. “How about some hot chocolate, extra marshmallows, just how you like it.” She wiggled her eyebrows.

Charlotte giggled and took it carefully.

Faye slid a cup of coffee her way as well. “And for my favorite sister.” She motioned to the windows. “I saw the two of you coming and figured that you’d need some pick-me-ups.”

“Thanks.” She took a sip while she glanced around and spotted a group of kids gathered on the rug near the reading nook. “Go ahead, sweetie. I’ll be right here,” she told Charlotte, who hurried over. A little girl with curly brown hair, who was wearing bright green sunglasses and a red plastic fireman’s helmet, waved her over. “Hi, I’m Ivy,” she said. “This is my sister, Sienna.”

“I’m Charlotte.”

“Wanna sit by us?” Ivy asked.

Charlotte nodded eagerly and plopped down beside them with the cup in her hands as the storyteller began reading.

“Looks like they’ve already made friends,” a woman said beside Ally.

She turned to find a friendly brunette with a warm smile standing next to a tall man carrying two cups of coffee.

“I’m Hannah,” the woman said, offering her hand. “And this is my husband, Wyatt. We run the grocery store in town. You must be Ally. Faye and Max’s sister?”

“Yes. I haven’t yet made it into the grocery store. Max packed the cupboards in the place for our arrival,” Ally said, shaking the woman’s hand.

Hannah laughed. “That was Wyatt’s doing. Your brother wasn’t sure what you’d need, so I think my husband went a little overboard.”

Wyatt shrugged, grinning. “I know what little girls eat.” He motioned to his two daughters. “I hope I got everything right. Max said that Charlotte has a nut allergy, but he forgot to tell me which nuts, so I steered clear of all nuts.”

“Peanuts,” she answered with a grin. “You did great. Thanks.”

As they sat and discussed daughters and life in Pride, she felt like she was part of something again, something normal, easy, and connected. All things Ted had purposely kept her from when they were together.

Across the room, Faye caught her eye and smiled knowingly before turning back to the espresso machine.

The snow might have slowed the world down, but inside the Brew-Ha-Ha, everything felt bright and full of promise.

Her daughter was laughing and making friends like a normal child and, for the first time in years, she too was making friends.

By the time the book reading session had ended, the clouds outside had started to clear and the sun was peeking through. Charlotte bounced out of the bookstore, chattering about her new friends and the story they’d heard. Her cheeks were pink from excitement and the warmth of the coffee shop.

“Can we get pizza and popcorn for movie night, Mama?” she asked, tugging on her sleeve. “That’s what Ivy and Sienna said they do on Fridays.”

She smiled down at her and nodded. “Sure thing, sweet pea. Let’s stop by the store on the way home. Did you know that Ivy and Sienna’s parents own the grocery store?”

“Yeah, they told me,” Charlotte said as she buckled her into her car seat.