Chapter 17
CHAPTER 17
Lizzie was shocked to find herself up before either of her parents and especially Daisy. She was even more surprised at how excited she was for the pancake breakfast and the Clauses arrival at the pier. She feels like she is eight again, and it feels good. She hasn’t been to the pancake breakfast in at least three years, but it’s more likely at least five. The older she gets the more self-conscious she has felt going, wondering if everyone is thinking, ‘what the heck is that woman doing here? Again!’”
Padding down to the kitchen, not wanting to wake anyone, she takes the coffee beans and grinder out to the freezing cold garage so she doesn’t wake her parents. Since when did they get so fancy? When she was growing up it was Folgers in a can all the way. This new-found passion for locally roasted beans continues to surprise her. It was one-hundred percent better though, that's for sure.
Once the coffee has brewed she takes her cup and curls up in a corner of the couch by the tree. She hops up to plug it in to get the full effect and snuggles back down. As she sips her coffee she scrolls mindlessly through her Instagram, she sees Ed with someone who appears to be his new girlfriend, if that kiss until the mistletoe is any indication. She doesn’t feel jealous, more just kind of sad that she’d stayed as long as she had with him even though she knew she didn’t love him. She decides to unfollow him, not because she’s jealous, but because she’s done. She wishes him all the best, but she doesn’t need to be a witness to his life. It feels good to let him go.
She then wanders over to Jack’s account. She’d long stopped connecting with him on social media in any way, but things are a bit different now. His Instagram page is pretty sparse, he never was much for putting his life online for all to see, kind of ironic for a tech guy living in Palo Alto. Lizzie was never much of a social media person either, which worked for her job. Journalists were supposed to keep their opinions and political leanings to themselves, so she’d never really gotten into sharing much of her life online. She always considered herself more of a lurker than an active participant on social media. There were some photos on his page from California, a few from many months ago with a very pretty woman who he looked pretty cozy with. She sees her name, @penelopej and, even though no one else is up, she looks around to see if anyone is watching as she goes to her page. She is beautiful, and if the white coat and stethoscope draped around her neck are any indication, a doctor too. Lizzie can feel some jealousy rising in her out of the blue, along with some insecurity. She looks to see if there are more photos of her with Jack, and if so, how recent. Jack is a free agent, he’s free to date anyone he wants, but still, she’s curious. Heck, she was seeing Ed until a few weeks ago, so she assumes he’s been dating as well. Just as she is about to click away from Penelope’s page her phone dings, it’s Jack. Oh God, he knows, she irrationally thinks, he knows I’m stalking him and @PenelopeJ online.
Hey, hope I’m not texting too early, I wanted to make sure we were still on for Santa, a boat and pancakes. Do you think anyplace else does this? As I typed that sentence I suddenly realized how weird it sounds.
Lizzie chuckles. Having grown up with Santa and Mrs. Claus arriving on a boat every year, it didn’t feel weird to her, but the more she thinks about it, it is the kind of thing that would probably only happen in a seaside town. Or a movie.
No worries, I’m up. Having coffee and trying to figure out what to wear - probably something stretchy. And yeah, it is a little weird.
She chuckles to herself and awaits his reply, and catches herself. Remember - you are never, ever getting back together, and he has a girlfriend.
Maybe I’ll borrow some of my dad’s sweatpants, we will make quite the couple...I mean, team. #teampancake
She looks at the copy of the Gazette sitting on the table, the page conveniently turned to the opening day schedule. She quickly skims the page and finds what she’s looking for.
Santa and Mrs. Claus arrive at 9, we can just meet there a little before that?
Taking a last sip of her coffee she waits for his reply. There’s no dots, nothing. Maybe Penelope was calling! Okay, you are officially losing your mind. Besides, it’s like 4:30 in the morning in California. Finally she sees him writing.
I’ll be there 8:45-ish?
Sounds good. I’ll see you then-ish, she writes back.
As she gets up from the couch she hears Daisy clicking her way down the wooden stairs, she runs over to Lizzie.
“Good morning, you little cutie,” she says petting the dog’s wriggling, fuzzy body. She walks to the foyer and sees it’s her mom who’s up. “And good morning to you, you’re a little cutie too,” she smiles, patting her mom’s head.
‘You’re sure up early,” Gabby says, shaking her head as she heads into the kitchen. “You sleep okay?”
“Yeah, I just woke up and decided instead of trying to go back to sleep to just get up. I’m meeting Jack at the pier, 8:45-ish. That’s his ish, not mine.”
“Just like old times, huh?” Gabby says, pouring herself some coffee. “Thanks so much for this, I didn’t even hear the grinder.”
“Oh, I did it in the garage.”
“The gift of adult children,” Gabby says laughing.
“What? I wasn’t always a perfectly behaved and thoughtful angel when I was growing up?” she asks, laughing.
“No, thank goodness, you were not. That would have been scary.”
“Are you going to the pier? Or do you have other things you have to do?” Lizzie asks. She mindlessly gets a bowl out of the cupboard, and starts looking through the very healthy selection of cereal and settles on some organic raisin bran.
Gabby reflexively goes to the fridge and pulls out some oat milk. “Try it with this, it’s a fantastic combo.”
“I will take that recommendation,” she says, pouring it on over the flakes dotted with plump raisins. She takes a bite, Gabby waits... “Wow, that is good! It adds this whole other layer of flavor.” She takes another spoonful, and chews. After she swallows she nods, “nice work Mom, you are definitely the queen of healthy deliciousness.”
Lizzie looks at the clock on the oven and quickly finishes the cereal, rinses her bowl and puts it in the dishwasher. “I hate to eat and run, oh dear lord, why did I do that?! I’m going to eat pancakes!” She slaps her forehead.
“Oh, gosh, I wasn’t thinking either! I’m sure you can still get one or two down.”
“I’m just not very focused these days. I think it’s the lack of routine.”
“Want me to give you a routine? A list of things to do every day?” her mother jokes.
“No, I do not. Thank you very much. I just need to stop being so distracted.”
“Distracted by what?” her mom slyly asks.
“Oh no, you are not going to get me to say anything! It’s work, Christmas, trying to help dad–”
“Jack…”
“I’m going to go take a shower. Bye, Mom!” and with that Lizzie runs up the stairs.
She twists her long hair up and secures it with an old scrunchie she found in a drawer, and hops into the shower. While soaping up with the natural loofah, she keeps thinking about Penelope J. Jack never mentioned being in a relationship, she wondered how serious it was. If it was serious wouldn’t she be here for Christmas with him? Or he would be with her family? “Ugh, stop it!” she says out loud. She rinses off, uses the exfoliating face scrub her mom has put in the shower, and after one final rinse, she turns off the water and hops out.
As she slips on the cozy robe, and has a stern talk with herself in the mirror. “You are going back to Boston soon, and you need to stop this, whatever this is, right now.” Her reflection doesn’t look particularly impressed or convinced. “He is the same guy who broke your heart, don’t be wooed by how nice he is, or how much fun you have with him, no, you need to stop it right now. Nip this in the bud, Young Lady.” She thought a stern, ‘young lady,’ might make more of an impression.
Twenty minutes later she’s applied some minimal makeup, gotten dressed, taken down her bun and brushed out her hair. And she’s put on a well-curated outfit of cozy olive green leggings, warm socks and an oversized cream-colored slouchy sweater.
She bolts down the stairs, Peter is now up too.
“Morning Sunshine,” he calls out to her. “You headed to the pier?”
“Yes, sir, I am, you need me to do something?” she asks as she sits down on the bench and puts on her boots. Her now very favorite boots.
“If you could just grab a few photos with your phone it would save me a stop. I can save them for the preview for next year.”
“No problem, I’m happy to, Dad.” She puts on her coat, zips it up, puts her phone in her pocket and grabs her purse. “Okay, I will catch up with you two later!”
“Have fun, honey,” Gabby calls from her perch at the counter.
“Don’t eat too many pancakes like that time-”
“I will not throw up off the end of the pier, I promise, Dad,” she says, laughing as she closes the door behind her.
She trudges through the snow that must have fallen after she got home last night, opens her car door and starts it up. While it’s getting warm she does a cursory clean off with a brush she has in the back, then hops in and heads to see Santa arrive on a boat