Chapter 20 Jane
JANE
Jane held the door to William's shop open for the girls and her grandmother, following them into the warm, bright space that smelled of cinnamon, pine, and something indefinably magical.
"William!" Julie's voice was warm with genuine affection.
The man who emerged from behind the counter was tall and distinguished, with silver hair and kind eyes that crinkled at the corners when he smiled. He crossed the shop quickly and greeted Julie with a kiss on her cheek that lingered just a moment longer than strictly friendly.
Jane felt her eyebrows rise, but kept her expression neutral as William turned to her.
"Jane, sweetheart." He pulled her into a hug, the familiar embrace of someone who'd known her since childhood. "How are you holding up?"
"Better," Jane said, and was surprised to realize it was true.
William's knowing look suggested he didn't quite believe her, but he let it go. Instead, he seemed to produce two extra-large candy canes from nowhere, holding them out to the delighted girls.
"Well, hello, Maddy," he said warmly. "Who is your new friend?"
"Trinity," Maddy introduced them, beaming. "She's a guest at the inn."
"Ah." William's smile widened as he turned to Trinity, holding out his hand with old-fashioned formality. "So you're the famous Trinity that's helping Jane with the ball. How do you do, young lady?"
Trinity shook his hand solemnly, clearly charmed. "Very well, thank you." Then her eyes widened as she took in the shop around them. "Your shop is so... so magical," she breathed in awe.
"Ah. Yes, it’s been known as St. Augustine’s equivalent to Santa’s village in the North Pole," William teased, his expression turned mysterious.
He glanced around his shop, then pointed to a very large, brightly lit Christmas tree in the corner.
On it, instead of ornaments, hung hundreds of small cards. "Come and make a wish."
He led them over to the tree, and Jane felt her heart lift and break simultaneously.
She'd come to this tree every year since she was a baby, writing wishes on cards and hanging them among the branches.
Some wishes had come true. Others hadn't. And one wish, the one that mattered most, could never come true. So the tree hadn’t received any wishes from Jane in three years.
Her hand went instinctively to her stomach as her mind tried to veer toward that dark place that was filled with pain.
Her grandmother noticed. Julie always noticed.
She moved and stood beside Jane, taking her hand and giving it a gentle squeeze, drawing her back from the edge of the dark abyss of haunting memories.
They stood side by side, quietly watching the young girls choose cards, pick up pens from the nearby table, and bend over their wishes with serious concentration.
"What do you think they're wishing for?" Julie's soft voice made Jane turn toward her.
"I think Trinity is wishing her father were here," Jane answered. A strange fluttering sensation tickled her stomach. She shook it off. She must be hungry. "I'm not sure what Maddy's wishing for..." She raised a brow and looked at her gran. "Maybe a better mother?" Sarcasm dripped from her voice.
"Jane!" Julie admonished, shaking her head. "When are you going to let go of the past? High school for you and Isabella was a long time ago. You've both changed. And she's a lovely person."
"I'm sorry, Gran." Jane crossed her arms. "She may have you all fooled, but I remember her as the Queen Bee at school. You know how horrible she used to be to me."
"Not to you directly, sweetheart," Julie corrected gently.
"You're horrible to my friends, you're horrible to me," Jane said stubbornly. "That's how it works."
"Jane, you did hang out with some nerds," Julie stated matter-of-factly.
"Gran!" Jane looked at her in disbelief. "We were academics."
"Yes, but look at you." Julie gestured at Jane's athletic build. "You were also a top athlete. Your friends could have been too, if they'd wanted."
"Some people aren't that way inclined," Jane said in exasperation. "Anyway, I want to continue to enjoy my night and not walk down memory lane to when Isabella terrorized the school with her Beauty Bees." She shuddered. "What a stupid name."
Julie smiled and nodded. "Okay, but could you please just try to get along with Isabella? She's been trying for two years to be friends with you."
"I'm as nice as I'm going to get to her," Jane stated flatly. "Now, why don't you go make a wish?"
"Maybe that's what I'll wish for," Julie said, moving away and glancing over her shoulder. "You to forgive and become friends with Isabella."
"That's wasting a wish," Jane called after her.
The girls rushed back to her, faces bright with excitement. "Hey, you two. I see you hung your wishes in the prime spot on the tree."
"It would be nice for them to come true," Trinity said, her voice dropping and sadness casting shadows in her eyes. She looked at Jane. "But I guess it's nice to hope."
"That's the spirit," Jane said, her heart squeezing. She turned to Maddy. She really did like Maddy. The girl was sweet, modest, insanely intelligent, and incredibly talented. "And you, Maddy? What did you wish for?"
"I wished for what I do every year," Maddy told her, and a frown marred her young brow. "And for some reason, I have a feeling it's going to come true this Christmas."
"Oh?" Jane raised her brows.
"Yes. I wished that my mother would find someone to love." Maddy’s young words were filled with hope. “She’s so lonely, and I know she’s given up everything, even a social life, for me.”
The words hit Jane right in the heart. That was so sweet, so selfless from this young girl. She swallowed against tears.
"That's the nicest wish," Trinity said, her face falling. "You wished for your mom. Mine seems so selfish now."
"Oh no, Trinity," Jane smiled gently. "Every wish comes with a ripple effect. Like say... You wished that your father would come home for Christmas..."
"How did you know?" Trinity's eyes widened, then fell. "Is it that obvious?"
"Trin..." Maddy squeezed her arm. "You haven't seen him in almost three years, of course, that’s what you’re going to wish for."
Three years.
The words nearly knocked Jane over. Three years since Trinity had seen her father. Three years since Jane's accident. Three years since she'd lost everything that mattered.
"What were you saying about a ripple effect, Jane?" Trinity's voice pulled her back from the edge of the dark abyss she'd been about to fall into for the second time that night.
Jane forced herself to focus. "Yes. Say you wished that your father would come home.
My grandmother..." She glanced to where Julie and William stood a few feet away, talking intimately.
"She would say that when the wish came true, it would be because his coming home served other purposes too.
Like maybe on his way here, he stopped to help someone whose car broke down, and that person made it to the hospital in time to say goodbye to a loved one.
Or his presence here inspired someone else to do something brave.
Wishes ripple outward, touching lives in ways we can't predict. So one wish coming true isn’t just one wish; it could be hundreds that come true because of it. "
"I'm surprised you remembered that, sweetheart," Julie said, appearing beside them so silently that Jane jumped. Julie turned and smiled at the girls, then looked at Jane and held out a card and pen. "Come now. It's your turn to make a wish, Jane."
Jane looked at the card. There was only one thing she'd ever wish for, and that would require turning back time. So why bother?
"No thanks, Gran. I'm good," Jane said.
The girls immediately protested, insisting she make a wish. Jane refused, shaking her head.
William stepped forward. "How about this? The girls make a wish for you."
Jane opened her mouth to argue, but Trinity and Maddy had already taken the card and were huddled together, whispering conspiratorially.
"What are you two writing there?" Jane asked, trying to see.
"No!" Maddy got between them. "Nope. If you look, it won't come true."
"Yes, Jane," Julie said, her eyes twinkling. "You can only look after Christmas."
"That's not fair," Jane protested.
"Come on, let's get you a candy cane," William said, taking Jane's arm and leading her away toward the counter.
Jane glanced back at the girls, who were bent over the card with serious expressions, and felt something warm unfurl in her chest. They cared about her.
These two twelve-year-olds who barely knew her cared enough to make a wish on her behalf.
And for the first Christmas in three years, Jane felt a bit of the magic she’d once believed in coming back.
JULIE
Julie watched the girls finish writing Jane's wish, their heads bent close together, whispering. Trinity wrote carefully while Maddy guided her thoughts, both of them concentrating with the seriousness children brought to important tasks.
When they finished, they looked up at Julie expectantly.
"Can I read it?" Julie asked.
The girls exchanged glances, then nodded. They handed her the small card.
Julie read it, and her eyes misted over:
We wish that Jane's heart gets mended and she's blessed with everlasting happiness.
"Oh, girls," Julie whispered, pressing the card to her chest. "That's beautiful."
"We want to hang it by the angel," Trinity said softly. "At the very top of the tree. So it has the best chance of coming true."
Julie looked up at the massive tree, at the angel perched at its peak, glowing softly in the lights. She turned to William, who was still talking with Jane at the counter.
"William," Julie called. "Can you get us to the top of the tree?"
He looked over, saw the card in her hand and the determined expressions on the girls' faces, and smiled. "Of course."
He disappeared into the back room and emerged with a tall ladder, positioning it carefully against the tree. Julie handed him the card, and he climbed steadily, navigating around branches with practiced ease.
At the top, he carefully hung the card right next to the angel, securing it so it wouldn't fall.
When he climbed back down, the girls clapped. Jane looked over from where she'd been examining a display of ornaments, confusion on her face.
"What are you all doing?" Jane asked.
"Nothing," Trinity said innocently. "Just making sure your wish is in the perfect spot."
Jane's expression softened, and she crossed back to them. "Thank you. Both of you. Even if I don't know what you wished for."
"You will," Maddy said confidently, exchanging a conspiratorial look with Trinity, who added. "On Christmas."
Julie looked at the card hanging by the angel and the other two carefully placed by Trinity and Maddy. A smile spread across her face, and her heart warmed as she sighed. William stepped up beside her.
“Well, my dearest Julie,” William whispered, “it seems your predictions may just come true after all.”
“Not may, William,” Julie smiled confidently. “They already are.” Her eyes drifted to the windows, where she saw Jack, Holly, Charlie, and Logan walking toward the shop. “They already are.”