Chapter 22
Chapter Twenty-Two
Was it her imagination?
Or had something shifted into place with them?
Felicity couldn’t put her finger on when exactly it had happened, but things between herself and Justin were more intimate—more like they used to be many years ago. But what did it mean? What did she want it to mean?
She didn’t have any answers. She wasn’t ready to put any labels on it. Those came with expectations. It was best to just let things play out without any hopes for things to come.
With Sunny chasing after a discarded plastic ornament, they decorated the tree.
Felicity knew the tree wasn’t the prettiest, but it in a way reminded her of herself.
Like the tree, she was a little bit beat up, emotionally that is.
And sometimes she felt as though she didn’t have it all together.
But the more they worked on the tree, the more its beauty showed through.
Felicity yawned. The day was finally catching up with her.
“You’re tired. I should be going.” Justin moved to the couch and picked up Sunny, who had finally fallen asleep.
“Oh, no. Not yet. I’m fine.” She was tired, but she didn’t want him to leave. Not yet. When he hesitated, she said, “We didn’t even put the star on the top of the tree.”
He placed Sunny back on the couch. The pup stretched out and went back to sleep. Felicity smiled. The puppy looked good there. Maybe her mother should consider getting a dog. It would certainly keep her company. She tucked away the thought for another time.
“Where is the star?” Justin’s voice drew her from her thoughts.
“It should be in the box over by the couch.”
Justin moved to the cardboard box. He moved a few things around before he pulled out a white box. Felicity immediately recognized it. Year after year, she’d watched her father pull out that white box with the little blue sticker with a store’s name.
Her father always said the star was to go on the tree last. Suddenly, she was socked in the chest with another wave of grief.
She missed her father so much. If she closed her eyes, she could envision him holding his hands out to her and lifting her up so she could put the star atop the tree.
The grief she felt for him took her breath away.
If she missed her father that much, she couldn’t imagine how much her mother must miss him. It was like the light of understanding had shined on her. She, at last, had some idea of why her mother sold the house.
If just seeing a Christmas tree topper affected her like that, what must it be like for her mother to go to the basement to do laundry and pass by her father’s workshop.
Or even if her mother went into the living room to watch television, she would have seen her father’s empty recliner.
It would be a lot to deal with every day.
Felicity felt bad for her initial reaction toward her mother. She hoped it wasn’t too late to make things right between them.
“Felicity, how’s this?”
She turned her head to see Justin had placed the star atop the tree. She blinked back her tears. “It’s perfect.”
In three long strides, he was by her side. He placed a finger beneath her chin and gently lifted her head until their gazes met. “What’s wrong?”
She swiped at her cheeks. “It just reminded me of my father. This is my first Christmas in Kringle Falls without him. I guess it’s just hitting me harder than I expected.”
The next thing she knew, she was being enveloped into Justin’s strong, warm embrace. Maybe she should have resisted, but in that moment, it was exactly what she needed. Her head came to rest against his muscled chest. She could hear the beating of his heart.
With his arms around her, she truly felt at home. Nothing, not even the bookshop, made her feel this warm and safe. She never wanted to move out of his embrace.
But she knew that wasn’t possible. Her future wasn’t in Kringle Falls. And this town was Justin’s home—it would always be his home.
With that thought in mind, she pulled out of his embrace. “I’m sorry about that.”
“You never have to apologize with me.” His voice was warm and comforting. His gaze moved back to the tree. “What do you think?”
“I think it’s almost perfect.”
“Almost?”
She nodded. “It’s just missing the homemade stars.”
He nodded in understanding. “Do you have plans tomorrow?”
“I was going to work on the costumes. Why?”
He shrugged. “I just have something in mind.”
She eyed him up. “Justin, what are you up to?”
“You’ll see. I’ll call you in the morning.”
“Okay.” She couldn’t deny that she was dying of curiosity. As much as she wanted to push him for more information, she knew he could be stubborn. She looked around at all of the empty ornament boxes. “I should clean this up.”
“I can help.”
She shook her head. “That’s okay. You’ve done more than enough this evening and I really appreciate everything you did to help me out.”
“And you need some rest. This is your vacation. Before you know it, you’ll be back in the office. By the way, congratulations.”
She sent him a puzzled look. She didn’t know what he was congratulating her for. She hadn’t done anything to deserve it.
He smiled. “It’s okay. Your mother told my mother that you got some big promotion. Your mom is so proud of you.”
Felicity sighed. The time had finally come to tell him the truth about herself. Maybe then he would stop saying all of those glowing things about her, because she didn’t deserve any of them.
“I’m surprised you’d want to spend your vacation working at the bookshop.”
“Justin, stop.”
His brows furrowed together. “Stop, what?”
This was it. This was the moment when she had to utter the words that she loathed. Before she could chicken out, she said, “I lost my job.”
He quietly stared at her, as though he hadn’t heard her correctly. Then he shook his head. “That can’t be right. You just got a promotion.”
She shook her head. “No, I didn’t.”
She took him by the hand and led him over to the couch.
They sat down on the opposite end from where Sunny was sleeping with her belly up.
Felicity started at the beginning, telling him that she got dumped by her boyfriend followed by losing her apartment.
And then she told him about the competition at the office—about Tanner with the too-white teeth and too-perfect hair—and about her former boss.
“I’m sorry, Felicity.” He wrapped his arm over her shoulders and pulled her close. “They are fools to have let you go.”
“I just don’t understand it. If they didn’t pick me for the promotion, well, fine. But why did they let me go from my position? I was good at it. Really good.”
“I’m certain you were. You’ve always been good at whatever you set your mind to.”
“I’ve applied for other jobs, but I haven’t gotten any interviews yet.”
“It’s the end of the year. I’m sure a lot of people are already on vacation. Come the New Year, you’ll hear from them.”
She turned and looked directly at him. “You know if someone heard you, they’d think we were friends or something.”
“We are friends.”
She didn’t know until that moment how much she longed to hear those words from him. “Really?”
He nodded. “I don’t know how you can doubt it. What did our mothers used to say?”
“From cradle to grave.”
She leaned over and rested her head on his shoulder.
She’d done this a million times in the past, but she’d always taken it for granted.
This time she tried to remember everything about this moment, from the slightest whiff of his sandalwood cologne to the gentle sigh he exhaled just before he placed his hand over hers and gave it a squeeze.
She didn’t know how long they sat there in the cozy glow of the Christmas tree. It was long enough and comforting enough that her eyes grew heavy. She hadn’t slept well since she lost her job, or maybe it was the weight of keeping it a secret.
Now that she’d confessed, she felt lighter. She tried to keep her eyes open, but it was getting hard. Maybe if she closed her eyes for just a moment…
“Felicity?” There was a gentle shake of her shoulder.
She opened her eyes to find her mother looking at her. Felicity sat up. A throw blanket fell to her lap. She looked around for Justin, but he wasn’t there. Disappointment settled in her chest.
She fell back against the couch. “What time is it?”
“It’s a little past midnight. Are you all right?”
“I fell asleep.”
Her mother turned to the Christmas tree. “I can’t believe you did this.”
Felicity couldn’t discern if that was a good thing or not. But when she got a look at her mother, she noticed the tears in her mother’s eyes. Oh no. That wasn’t the reaction she’d been hoping for.
“Mom, I’m sorry. I thought you’d like the tree.”
Her mother nodded. “I do. I love it.” She continued to stare at the tree. “I haven’t had one since…” She pressed a hand to chest. “Since your father was here.”
Felicity stood up. She gave her mother a hug. “I’m sorry I haven’t been around. I’ve missed you.”
“I’ve missed you too.”
When Felicity pulled back, she said, “I promise I won’t be gone so long next time.”
And she meant it. Life was short and unpredictable. Her father taught her that lesson the hard way. Her mother needed her, and she needed her too.