Page 9 of This Christmas
“I don’t know why people want actual trees. They’re so messy,” Caryn comments.
Her statement shouldn’t stun me, but it does. I’ve always had a real tree until I met Caryn. It didn’t bother me until recently.
I hold the door of Whitaker’s General Store and wait for her to enter. The bell overhead chimes and an instant flush of memories comes back of me stocking shelves every morning during the summer, waiting for lunch so I can bike to the lake with my friends. Those days were the highlight of my life. Summers at the water, biking until it was too dark to see. There were and still are very few streetlights except on Main Street, so we rode until we couldn’t. Then started over the next day.
Things changed when I became older. I had more responsibilities which I didn’t mind because I had a paying job and used most of my money to buy my girlfriend ice cream down at the Tasty Freeze.
Those were the days.
With my hand on the small of Caryn’s back, I direct her toward the counter. My dad walks around the corner, and does a double take. After a moment, hesmiles and comes around the counter. We hug tightly, patting each other’s back.
He steps back and keeps his hands on my shoulders. “My son.”
“Hey, Dad.”
“Boy, I’m happy to see you.”
“Me too.” My words barely make it out of my mouth as my heart seizes a bit. It hits me like a ton of bricks, how much I’ve missed my dad. Tears cloud my vision, and I let them fall. They are far overdue.
“Dad, I’d like you to meet my fiancé, Caryn Bamford.” I look from him to Caryn. “Caryn, this is my dad, Bernie Whitaker.”
Dad holds his hand out, and Caryn shakes it.
“It’s nice to meet you, Bernie.”
“You too,” he says quickly and then turns to me. “Are you passing through?”
“Nope, we’re here for the rest of the month. I thought it would be good for Caryn to spend some time in Deer Ridge.”
Pop looks at her quickly and then at me again. I get the sense he’s not impressed, and that’s my fault. Not Caryn’s. I could’ve brought her home many times over and I haven’t.
“Store looks great.” I look around but realize my words aren’t exactly true. The store needs a lot of work. Maybe it’s time to sell.
“It’s okay,” Dad says. “Evangeline helps me out whenever she can. She even sends some guys over from the farm to help.”
“Ev . . . Evangeline?” I clear my throat and feelCaryn’s gaze on me. I refuse to look at her. “She’s here?”
“Of course she is. Comes by every day. Sometimes, twice a day.”
Great.
“Who’s Evangeline?” Caryn asks.
I’m about to tell my fiancé that Evangeline is no one, but my dad says otherwise.
“She’s the one his mother wanted him to marry.”
FIVE
EVANGELINE
The sound of the heat kicking on has me jumping for joy and Noelle yelling hallelujah. After two days with no heat, we’re both beyond excited to have something spurting out of the radiator. George, our local repair man, laughs from the other room. Whatever he’s done has fixed the issue which means I’ll be able to sleep in my bed. I love my parents, but I’ve missed my own space and my office.
George comes out of the backroom with a big, cheesy smile on his face. He winks, causing Noelle and I to giggle. George may be our go-to for repairs, but he’s also our town Santa, and he’s always flirting with us.
“To avoid this next year, I’ll have the missus remind me to come out in September or October to bleed the lines.”
He said this last year, but I don’t bother to remind him. The furnace is old and if I want to avoid this in the future, I should buy a new one.