Chapter 13
Every mile felt longer than the last as Ben made his way from Marietta back to Columbus. God had been so good to him, letting
him meet Vanessa and build a friendship over the last half a year.
But now to think he was about to take her on a date? It was more than Ben could’ve hoped for. After losing Laura, he never
thought he’d date again. Sure, he was still young, but he and Laura had gone through so much together. Who else would ever
connect with him the way she had? Or build a life with him the way she had?
That all had changed at the Christmas-in-July sale. Since then, Ben’s greatest concern was moving slowly enough not to scare
Vanessa away. But those concerns eased the minute she said yes to this date. Which meant he could start treating her the way
he’d been dying to treat her.
Like a woman he was interested in.
And not merely like a friend.
He stopped at the florist not far from Vanessa’s house and picked up something special for her. Something he’d been longing to do since they met. Sadie was spending the night at Ella’s house, so again he wouldn’t be meeting Vanessa’s daughter tonight.
Ben felt his heart thud against his chest as he made his way up her sidewalk. He wore a navy blazer and dark jeans. When she
answered the door, she looked surprised. But not as surprised as he was.
“Look at you.” He stayed on the front porch. “You’re beautiful, Vanessa.”
Her red silk jacket and white turtleneck made her look like someone in a magazine. Her delicate cheekbones and flawless skin
took his breath. He wondered if she would ask him inside, but their dinner reservations were only an hour from then.
She stepped out and locked the door behind her. “I’ve never seen you dressed up.”
“I couldn’t. Not if we were just friends.” He grinned at her. Then he pulled out the plastic box and removed the white wrist
corsage inside. “These are old-fashioned, I know.” He smiled. “I don’t care.” He slipped it over her fingers and set it in
place. “Because every girl deserves a corsage.”
They parked on the other side of Old Town Square and took their time walking to Emilio’s. The Christmas tree at the center
of Old Town rose high above the street, shining with thousands of lights and handmade ornaments from the children of Columbus.
“Have I mentioned I love this place?” Ben took in the sight of Vanessa.
The night was chilly again, so he put his arm around her.
A couple passing by took their picture by the tree, and then they stopped in at an antique store they’d somehow missed.
At one of the front tables, a display of vintage frames caught Ben’s attention.
“I might get a few of these.” He picked up one of them. The frame was wrapped in a floral cloth, finely put together and yellowed
with time. He flipped it over. “Nineteen forty-two.” He smiled at her. “My turn.”
“I can’t wait.” Vanessa was glowing.
Ben looked at the frame, then back at Vanessa. “She worked at the Red Cross and pined for her young GI.”
“World War II.”
“Right.” Ben focused on the frame again. “And in this very frame, she kept the only picture she had of the two of them. She
looked at it every day. Praying he’d come home.”
Vanessa raised her pretty brow. “And?”
“He did.” Ben let the rest of the story spill out all at once. “They married and had a family and lived happily ever after.
The end.”
“Why didn’t they keep the frame?”
Ben shrugged. “They remodeled and sold it at a swap meet. Kept the picture for the kids.”
Vanessa laughed. “That’s it?”
“It’s not always a Hollywood ending.” Ben picked up another frame, one that was slightly turned so Vanessa couldn't see it.
“And . . . what about this one?”
The moment Vanessa looked, she saw what Ben had done. The frame held a photo of the two of them. Something he’d done while
back home in Marietta.
“Ben . . . that’s us.” Vanessa took the frame. She was clearly shocked. “How did you . . .?”
“Well, let’s just say for that one . . . the story has only just begun.”
They headed to the register then and Ben bought four additional frames. He looked at Vanessa. “Old frames are like Christmas
itself. They both hold the images we’ll remember for a lifetime.”
“Maybe you need your own book.” She held on to his elbow as he paid.
When they left the store, carolers were singing on Old Town Square. “Seems only right,” Ben teased her. “I mean, they might
not invite us to sing, but . . .”
“Absolutely. We have to listen.”
A small crowd had gathered by then. Ben and Vanessa found a spot near the back, several feet from the audience. A place where
it felt like just the two of them.
The stars shone bright overhead, and the voices of the carolers filled the air. Again, Ben put his arm around her. The group
finished one song and started “The Christmas Song.” One of Ben’s favorites.
He lowered his face to her level and whispered, “You cold?” He stood behind her and slipped his other arm around her, too.
“Not now.” She turned in his arms so she could see him. And like that the moment was theirs alone. Ben worked his fingers
into her hair. He was about to kiss her when out of nowhere, the Sidewalk Santa walked by ringing his bell again.
The sound caught them off guard and they both burst out laughing. Ben shook his head. “Busy guy.”
“Definitely.” She bit her lip. “I don’t really want to leave this, but . . .”
“Dinner reservations?” He laughed. “You’re right.” He put his hand alongside her cheek. “Can I take a rain check on this moment?”
“I hope so.”
They made their way inside Emilio’s, Old Town’s best Italian restaurant. Before they were seated, Vanessa’s expression changed
ever so subtly. “I have to tell you something.”
“Okay.” Ben couldn’t imagine this being bad news. Not after the moment they’d just shared.
“Sadie and I worked at the Veterans’ Hall till late last night, and when we got home, she FaceTimed Hudson.” Vanessa sighed.
“I’m sorry. Today she was gone with Ella and Cami before I woke up. They were headed to Fort Benning. The rest of the day
was more decorating and filling baskets and—”
“And you haven’t told her.” Ben laughed. “I’m trying to imagine the look on her face when we show up at the dance tomorrow
night. ‘Hello. I’m Ben Miller. Your mom and I have been talking every day for the past six months.’”
Vanessa put her hand to her face. “It’s like a comedy of errors.”
“It’ll all work out.” Ben took her hand. “Let’s enjoy tonight.”
They were seated at a beautiful booth near the back, and Vanessa wished the night would last forever.
The window next to the booth overlooked Old Town Square and the tree.
They could even hear the faint sound of songs from the carolers.
“This”—Vanessa turned to him—“might be my favorite Christmas moment ever.”
“It might be mine, too.” Ben looked like he could spend the rest of the evening staring at her. As if he were memorizing her
features.
They ate chicken piccata, and after dinner they ordered a piece of cheesecake to share. That’s when Ben took her hand and
ran his thumb over the bare spot on her ring finger. “This is where you wore the Christmas ring?”
“It is.” Vanessa still had her wedding ring on the other hand. She was beginning to feel self-conscious about the fact. But
if things with Ben kept moving in this direction, she would remove it. They had time.
Ben lifted his eyes to hers. “You haven’t told me the history of it. The Christmas ring.”
“I haven’t?” Vanessa couldn’t believe that.
“No. Just that it was a red stone with shiny diamonds. Cubic zirconia, I’m guessing.”
“Probably.” She leaned back in the booth. “It’s a great story. My great-grandfather found the ring on D-Day.”
“Wait. Actually? On D-Day?” Ben leaned forward. “How did that happen?”
Vanessa smiled. “He shared the story with me a hundred times. It was his favorite.” Vanessa could picture him. Still handsome
in his seventies and eighties. She was the apple of his eye back then. “He was part of the 101st Airborne Division.”
“The Screaming Eagles. Okay.” He looked shocked by the fact. “He told you this?”
“Every word.” She took her time. “He was a paratrooper, part of the group sent in ahead of the land assault that day. The jump went wrong from the start. He and his friends were all scattered to the wind. They landed eight miles inland from Utah Beach, and a group of them found shelter in an oversize bush.”
“It’s hard to believe any of them survived.”
“Exactly.” She could still hear her great-grandfather Bill Bailey, the depth in his voice as he told the story. “A few hours
before they were rescued, he felt something deep in the dirt. He dug it out and there it was. He polished it on his army pants,
and in the light of the moon he could see it better. A ruby-red stone surrounded by a ring of diamonds.”
“That’s incredible.”
Vanessa tried to imagine the moment. “Somehow holding the ring, he had the sense he just might survive. Maybe he would make
it out and find a wife and raise a family. He was so moved by the piece of jewelry that he named it.”
“The Christmas ring.”
“Yes.” Vanessa looked at the spot where Ben still had hold of her hand. “It was in the family until I lost it that day in
Breckenridge.” She thought back again. “After he was rescued, maybe six months later, my great-grandfather met a French woman.
They fell in love and married, and she came back to Columbus, Georgia, with him. She loved him so much.”
“Like a movie.” Ben was taken by the story, Vanessa could see that much.
“They started their family here, and on their second anniversary he took the ring to a jeweler and had it engraved.”
“Engraved? Oh. That’s . . . that’s special.” Ben blinked. For the first time since she started the story, he didn’t look lost in the history of the ring. He released her hand and searched her eyes. “What did it say?”
“It’s on the inside of the band. In cursive it says Maison.” She smiled. “It’s hard to read. It means ‘home.’”