Chapter Three #4
Yuletide O-le? Maggie clamped her mouth tightly closed to hold in the snicker threatening to burst free.
“I’m not sure we could make that work, Rosie.” Sarah’s tone was patient. “That might be getting a bit too close to grandmas really getting run over by reindeer.”
“True.” Rosie smiled devilishly. “Rudolph would take Maybelle out in the first thirty seconds.”
“I’m going to take you out,” Maybelle warned, giving Rosie the evil eye.
“The Harveys’ deer came from my wedding,” Rosie told Maggie, ignoring Maybelle. “Maggie, darling, you should have been here for my wedding to Lou. We had the deer, ice skating, snowman building.” She sighed happily. “Everything was just the most perfect winter wonderland wedding you’ve ever seen.”
Maggie chalked Rosie’s wedding up to more Pine Hill Christmas craziness. “I’ve never seen a winter wonderland wedding, ma’am.”
“Such a shame that you missed it,” Rosie tsked. “Fortunately, you’ll be here for the Grandma Games and get a smidge of my fabulous nuptials.”
“Fabulously gawdy,” Maybelle said half-under her breath.
“That was just your bridesmaids’ dresses,” Rosie countered, giving Maybelle a smug look.
“Which you picked out,” Ruby reminded with a frown. “My Charlie said I was still beautiful, but I can’t say I felt it while wearing an ugly Christmas sweater gown. I’ve still not forgiven you for doing that to us.”
Smiling, Rosie looked pleased with herself. “Maggie, can you believe these three complaining about my bridesmaids’ dresses? It was a Christmas-themed wedding. They’re old. I had to make sure they didn’t catch pneumonia. What else were they going to wear other than cozy, warm sweaters?”
“I can think of a few things I’d have preferred over an ugly Christmas sweater dress,” Claudia said, garnering nods from the other Butterflies. “We should have filed a bridesmaid complaint.”
“Or picketed with signs of protest when she rode in on Santa’s sleigh.” Ruby didn’t bother to suppress a giggle. “We could’ve attached our signs to poles that looked like candy canes.”
“And used them to play a game of whack the bride,” Maybelle suggested drily.
Maggie looked back and forth between the women. Surely, this entire conversation was some type of prank, an initiation to welcome her to the town or something. When her gaze met Sarah’s, her hostess seemed to read her mind.
With a little smile, Sarah shrugged. “Rosie’s wedding was an experience, and our Christmas festival will be this year, too.”
“You are really going to have a town Christmas contest called the Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer games?”
“As long as the mayor approves—and he wouldn’t dare not.
” Maybelle’s chin lifted regally. “Why wouldn’t he, Sarah?
” Maybelle glanced at where Jeannie had grown bored with the blocks and was looking restless now that a slow holiday number had replaced the catchy grandma song.
“Now that our dear girl no longer has to worry about this, my God-granddaughter and I are going to go read the new book I brought about the night before Christmas.”
Maybelle took the toddler, and Harry hot on their trail, they left the room to go to the living area. The other three Butterflies chatted for a few moments, then said their goodbyes, kissing Sarah’s cheeks as they left.
“I can’t believe they went for that name,” Maggie mused, shaking her head at the absurdity as she helped Sarah clean the kitchen.
“Of course, they went for it.” Sarah placed the remaining cookies in a snowman tin. “It was a good suggestion.”
“I said it as a joke,” Maggie admitted, thinking she should have grabbed one last cookie.
“Pine Hill will have a lot of fun with it. Just thinking about the name makes me smile.” That wasn’t saying much. Most things made Sarah smile.
“You have to admit that it seems an odd name for a contest that will involve men and women from all ages and that’s to benefit an animal shelter.”
Sarah tapped her fingers against the tin. “Hmm, you have a point. We want all ages involved but may tweak who we allow to apply to participate in certain events.”
“So you’ll limit a few to those who’ve achieved a certain golden age?”
“With it being the Grandma Games having grandma contestants makes sense. Pine Hill will get behind that. Especially with those who were just here being involved. I never know what they are going to get into next.” Sarah’s facial expression was filled with love more than any real concern.
“They have grandkids?” Obviously, Ruby did since her grandson was the link to Walker moving to Pine Hill, but Maggie wasn’t sure about the others.
“All but Maybelle. However, you could count Jeannie as Maybelle has always been like family. After my mother died at my birth, my Aunt Jean and the Butterflies took me under their wings.” Sarah smiled at her pun.
“They’re so special. When, a few years ago, my aunt passed and I decided to turn her house into the bed and breakfast, they were by my side all the way.
I can’t imagine my life without having had their support. ”
“It’s easy to see how much they love you.”
“The feeling is mutual. My dad is great and adores Jeannie, but he stays busy with his pastoral work. I’m so glad Jeannie has the Butterflies to shower her with the love they always freely gave to me.”
What would it have been like to have had that kind of love?
Maybe if Maggie had known that as a child she’d have grown up as a different person, more Christmas-colored glasses and life was a cup of hot chocolate with extra marshmallows like Sarah.
Then again, look at what knowing love had gotten her.
As emotionally broken and alone as she’d ever been.
Knowing love had destroyed her.
No, not destroyed. She’d survived, living another day so she could protect the likes of Sarah Lewis, from the harsh realities of Maggie’s world.
“I’m glad Jeannie has that too.” She really was.
The child was precious. Maggie liked knowing she would grow up surrounded by so much love and support. Every child should know they are loved.
Fighting the emptiness inside her, Maggie swallowed, then opened the tin to snag one last cookie. “If you need someone to judge the cookie baking contest you mentioned, sign me up.”
Sarah’s expression brightened even further, as if Maggie had given her another “brilliant” idea. “You know, I might just do that.”