Chapter 3
T he following afternoon, Joseph walked into The Connect Church. For the last couple of years, he’d donated money to a special project the church ran. The Christmas Wish Program was designed to provide life-changing and everyday gifts to the community. Whether it was a regular care package of food, an electric wheelchair, or a scholarship for college, Pastor John and a group of friends were changing people’s lives.
He waved at Shelley, John’s wife. With her financial skills and John’s determination, they were a formidable force.
“John’s in his office,” Shelley told him from behind the reception desk. “He’ll be pleased to see you.”
Joseph knew it wasn’t because of the money he was donating.
The one thing John disliked more than anything was balancing a budget. When Shelley started working with him, she insisted he regularly go through each program to make sure they weren’t spending too much money. On the last day of each month, John would do anything if it meant not having to look at his project plans.
Joseph tapped lightly on John’s office door. He grinned at the relief on his friend’s face. “It can’t be that bad.”
“It’s always bad. I dream big and it gets me into trouble.”
“There’s nothing wrong with a little trouble.”
John sighed. “There is when your wife’s an accountant.” He turned off his computer and walked around his desk. “Come and have a seat over here. It feels less like a business meeting when we’re talking on the sofas.”
Joseph placed a folder on the coffee table. “I met the families who moved into the tiny homes we finished a few weeks ago. They love the new design.”
“It’s wonderful what a difference having a safe and welcoming home does for a person’s spirit. And, talking about lifting someone’s spirit, we have a special request from our Christmas wish mailbox.”
The range of requests never failed to amaze Joseph. Even though Sapphire Bay was a small town, the issues facing the community were no different than those in larger cities.
John walked back to his desk and picked up a blue folder. “We don’t usually discuss individual cases, but this one’s important. A woman who lives in Sapphire Bay has cancer. Even after treatment, her prognosis isn’t good. She’s always wanted to go to Disneyland, but her family doesn’t have a lot of money. Her husband wrote to The Christmas Wish Program, asking if we could pay for their family to fly to Los Angeles.”
A knot of grief tightened in Joseph’s chest. His mom had died from breast cancer when he was twenty-two. It changed his life and made him a different person. “Do they have children?”
“Two. A son who’s five and a daughter who’s eight. Usually, we’d help the family in a couple of months. But I don’t think we can wait until the next funding round for this wish.”
Joseph opened the folder John gave him and looked at the cost of the vacation. He didn’t need to think twice about helping the family. “I’ll transfer the money into the church’s account after the meeting. What about the accommodation and park entry?”
“The woman’s mom is paying for those.”
“She doesn’t need to. I’ll cover it. What’s next?”
Over the next half hour, they went through a list of the Christmas wishes Joseph’s last donation had made possible, and a few they’d be financing over the next couple of months. It humbled him to know he was making a difference in so many people’s lives.
After they’d finished, John sat back on the sofa. “You’ve helped a lot of people. There must be something I can do to thank you publicly.”
They’d discussed this when Joseph gave the church his first donation. “Absolutely not. One of the reasons Adele and I came to Sapphire Bay was to live a normal life. If people know I’m doing this, they’ll treat us differently. Adele doesn’t need that, and neither do I.”
“Fair enough, but we appreciate everything you’re doing. Without your support, The Christmas Wish Program would have ended months ago.”
Joseph smiled. “I’m happy to help. I have a thank you of my own to make. The Christmas carol practice at The Welcome Center was fantastic. Adele hasn’t stopped talking about it.”
“She isn’t the only one. Everyone’s excited about the choir after they saw Mabel’s Facebook posts.”
“The ice cream at the end of the night helped, too.”
John laughed. “That doesn’t surprise me. Shelley said you spent time with Shona and Nate Milligan. How are they?”
“They seem okay. Why?”
“Nate’s heading back to college soon. Shona misses him when he leaves.”
Joseph could understand how she felt. “I’m glad that’s a few years away for Adele. At least if she goes to Montana State University, it’s only a few hours away.” He picked up the folder he’d brought with him. “Patrick wanted me to give you this. It’s the updated production schedule for the tiny homes.”
“Thanks. I’ll look at it as soon as I’ve gone through my program budgets.”
Shelley knocked on John’s office door. “Sorry to interrupt your meeting, but we have an issue in the kitchen. The freezer isn’t working.”
John frowned. “Bryce said the second-hand parts he installed last week should have fixed the problem.”
“Maybe it’s a different part that’s broken? Do you know anything about freezers, Joseph?”
“Absolutely nothing, but I’m happy to take a look. If you have the model number, I could find its manual on the Internet.” He followed John and Shelley into the main foyer. “How old is the freezer?”
“The original owner bought it six years ago, give or take a few months,” John replied. “This is the third time it’s broken down in as many months.”
“It sounds like you need another one.”
Shelley looked at her husband. “I said the same thing a few weeks ago, but someone didn’t listen.”
John’s eyebrows rose. “That’s because I thought you were joking. You hardly ever tell me to buy a new appliance.”
“I can be flexible,” Shelley said with a stubborn tilt of her chin. “Besides, the freezer’s fully depreciated, so we have the funds to buy another one.”
John wrapped his arm around his wife’s waist. “That’s why I love you so much. You can wave your magic wand and find money out of thin air.”
“Or on a spreadsheet,” Shelley said with a grin.
As they walked along the corridor, Joseph looked in the meeting rooms. “I haven’t seen the church this quiet in ages. Where is everyone?”
“They’re outside watching a basketball game.” Shelley held her hand against the kitchen door. “We’d better go into the kitchen from the main meeting room. The floor on this side of the room is still slippery from the melted ice.”
“The freezer must have turned off a while ago. Was any food—” Joseph opened the meeting room doors. Paper streamers flew toward them, quickly followed by lots of cheers and whistles.
Shelley laughed at his stunned expression. “Happy birthday!”
Joseph didn’t know where to look first. The room was packed with smiling people, all wishing him a happy birthday. From across the sea of faces, he saw Shona. She was standing beside Adele, clapping with the rest of the crowd.
He lifted his eyebrows and her smile widened. She must have known what John and Shelley had planned, but she hadn’t said anything when they’d sat together at The Welcome Center.
She leaned down and whispered something in Adele’s ear.
With a grin that didn’t bode well for how he’d wanted to celebrate his birthday, Adele followed Shona across to a table.
For a few seconds, he lost sight of her. When she reappeared from behind Mabel and Allan Terry, she was pushing a wooden kitchen cart. Sitting on top of it was a large birthday cake covered in white frosting and dozens of candles. The light shone in his daughter’s eyes, making them glow from excitement.
He rubbed his hand along his jaw. “I guess this means you don’t have a problem with your freezer?” he asked John.
“I hope not. You haven’t said anything about celebrating your fiftieth birthday, so Shelley and I decided to do it for you.”
He didn’t know whether he was humbled by everyone’s excitement or embarrassed by all the attention. “I thought no one would remember.”
John grinned. “There was no chance of that happening. Your birthday’s two weeks after mine.”
“And John loves celebrating his birthday.” Shelley touched Joseph’s arm. “Adele’s so happy.”
He put aside his embarrassment when he saw the joy on his daughter’s face. She loved celebrating any occasion and couldn’t understand his reluctance to do something special on his birthday.
Carefully, she wheeled the cart closer. “Happy birthday, Dad! Do you like your surprise?”
He wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “I do. Did you make the cake?”
“Megan baked it at Sweet Treats, but I helped put the candles on the top.”
“It looks amazing.”
Mabel started singing “Happy Birthday,” and everyone joined in.
Even though his friends meant well, he wanted to fade into the background. When the singing was over, he breathed a sigh of relief.
Adele held his hand. “You should blow out the candles and make a wish.”
“Would you help me?”
She nodded and moved closer to the cake.
Crouching beside her, he whispered, “I’ll count to three. Are you ready?”
With a wide grin, she waited for the big moment.
“One, two…three!” They blew out the candles with a rush of air, sending their friends into another round of cheering. Instead of enjoying the moment, Joseph thought about the other birthdays he’d skipped, the relentless pressure he’d put himself and his family under. He’d achieved everything he wanted, but it had cost him his marriage, his health, and nearly his daughter.
Adele leaned against him. “Did you make a wish?”
“Do I have to?”
“Yes! Quick, before it’s too late.”
He closed his eyes and felt the warmth of Adele’s hand against his shoulder. His little girl was growing up, finding her place in the world, forging a future that one day could take her away from him. But, for now, she was happy. If he had to make a wish, it would be for Adele. He wished her even more happiness. For a future that was even brighter than the last three years.
When he opened his eyes, he smiled at his daughter. “Did I make my wish in time?”
“Just. Now we cut the cake.”
“When did you become so knowledgeable about birthday parties?”
“Since my last one, silly.”
John grinned. “I’m glad Adele hasn’t inherited your aversion to birthdays.”
He picked up the knife that was sitting on the cart. “She loves anything that involves cake.”
Adele grinned. “Especially if it’s chocolate.”
After he’d filled one plate with cake, Shona joined them. “Happy birthday, Joseph.”
“Thanks. I had no idea this was happening.”
“We can keep a secret when we need to.” She handed him a gift-wrapped box. “Nate made this for you. I hope you like it.”
“He didn’t have to do that.”
“He wants you to have something to remember all the good work you’re doing.”
Joseph looked around the room. “Nate didn’t come?”
Shona shook her head. “He’s finishing another project before he goes back to college tomorrow.”
Adele tugged the bottom of his shirt. “Can I cut more of the cake while you open your present?”
Carefully, he handed her the knife. “Make the pieces the same size as the others.”
“Okay.”
He glanced at Shona. “How do you feel about Nate leaving?”
“A little sad, but he’s enjoying his time at Montana State University. He has a good group of friends and great teachers. You can’t ask for more than that.”
Joseph wanted to say something that would take the sadness away from her eyes.
“I’m all right,” Shona said with a forced smile. “It takes me a day or two to readjust to not having him here.”
“If you ever need a dose of childhood drama, you could visit us.”
Adele looked at him and frowned.
Shona laughed. “Your daughter’s wonderful. I can’t imagine her having any drama in her life.”
“You’d be surprised.” Joseph unwrapped the gift Shona had given him. When he saw what was in the box, his eyes widened. The palm-sized wooden tiny home was a replica of the homes they made at the old steamboat museum. “This is fantastic. It must have taken Nate a long time to make it.”
“It did, but he enjoys making things for other people.”
“I have a small woodworking area in my garage, but this is far better than anything I could have made. Can I drop by after the party to say thanks?”
“He’d like that. If you and Adele don’t have other plans, why don’t you stay for dinner?”
Adele looked up from cutting the cake. “Say yes, Dad. We could take ice cream, just like last night.”
Joseph frowned. He didn’t want Shona to think he was interested in her in any way other than as friends. It would ruin their easy-going relationship and complicate their busy lives.
“If you have other plans, don’t worry about dinner.”
He felt like an idiot when he heard Shona’s softly spoken words. He was reading more into her invitation than she intended. “If you’re sure it won’t be too much bother, Adele and I would love to have dinner with you and Nate.”
“That’s great. Is six o’clock all right?”
“Perfect. I’ll see you then.”
Joseph watched her leave. It was a day of firsts. The first time he’d celebrated his birthday in years, and the first time he’d looked forward to spending time with another woman.