Epilogue
SADIE STOOD IN a corner of Charlie’s living room and looked around. It felt as if the entire town was jammed into the house. Michael Bublé crooned from the speakers installed in the ceiling about how it was beginning to look like Christmas and based on the enormous tree in the corner, as well as garland everywhere and twinkle lights on anything that stood still, Christmas had definitely found the Benson household.
“What are you doing here all by yourself?” Charlie asked as she handed Sadie a mug of hot chocolate. “I’m having high school flashbacks of you as a wallflower.”
Sadie shook her head. “That can’t be right because you have to actually go to parties to be a wallflower. I was usually at home curled up with a book.”
Charlie shrugged then took a sip from her own mug. “True. But I’m glad to find a moment with you.”
“Oh yeah? What’s up?”
“I want to give you your Christmas present.”
“Now?” Sadie looked around at all the groups of people chatting and laughing. Yule tide cheer was in abundance, yet it hardly seemed the time for her and Charlie to exchange Christmas gifts.
“Yes. Now.” Charlie set her mug down and faced Sadie. “We have been friends for a very long time. And I know how hard it is for you to accept help from others as well as believe just how much you mean to this community. After you told me and Anne what was going on with the store, we started a fund online letting everyone in town know that you and JoJo could use some help. As of today, this lovely group of people,” she waved her hand across the room, “has raised enough to pay off JoJo’s medical bills.”
Sadie’s mouth dropped open.
“Sadie, you and JoJo mean so much to so many people. As soon as it was known you needed a little help, people stepped up. That’s what we do around here. You are loved.”
Sadie set down her mug and wiped away tears that threatened to fall. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Say thank you.” Charlie hugged her then pulled back. “And Merry Christmas.”
“Merry Christmas!” Sadie pulled Charlie in for another hug and held her tight.
When they let go Charlie said, “Now, stop being a wallflower and enjoy your own wedding celebration!”
She grabbed her mug and left to join James who was talking to Davis.
“Hey you two,” she said as James placed a kiss on her cheek and wrapped an arm around her.
“Sadie!” Davis said as he sat down his champagne glass on a nearby table then rubbed his hands together. “I wanted to talk to you. I was just telling James that Charlie told me about the cellar under your store. My family owned that building from the 1940’s through the 1970’s. I went through our company’s archives and found the blueprints.”
“No way!” Sadie looked at James then back at Davis.
“The cellar is on there and was originally storage for the newspaper, but based on what James said you guys found, I think he’s right. It was probably used at some point for bootlegging during prohibition.”
Sadie shook her head. “That is so crazy. All that time it’s been down there.”
“Your grandparents never mentioned it?” Davis asked.
“No. I asked JoJo and she thinks they would have seen it when they first moved in, but probably covered it up to keep me from finding it, curious kid that I was.”
“That trait has not left you, my love,” James said then kissed her forehead.
Davis smiled, “Well, I just wanted you to know. Sorry you didn’t find gold. That would have been amazing.”
Sadie swatted James on the chest with her hand.
“What? I didn’t say anything to him.”
“He didn’t,” Davis agreed. “Charlie told me what she found about buried gold. I think she wanted you to find some as much as you did.”
They all laughed.
“And hey,” Davis said as he grabbed his champagne glass once more. “You may not have found gold, but you found each other, which is even better. Cheers to the happy couple!”
They all clinked glasses, or hot chocolate mugs in Sadie’s case.
“Cheers!”
Charlie was right. It was Sadie’s wedding celebration. Well, a double one, really. She and JoJo decided on a double ceremony earlier in the month, just them at the church with only family. Charlie was Sadie’s matron of honor and Mark was James’ best man. Maddie was there, of course, but they all wanted something intimate, something quiet. Charlie was the one who insisted on throwing a big party to celebrate, and now Sadie could see why. This was her family, this community. She and JoJo had been loved and supported for longer than they realized.
She’d moved in with him and Maddie right after the wedding. Gary had moved in with JoJo as planned. After they got engaged, James said he wanted to help her pay the difference in rent at the store. It wasn’t easy at first for Sadie to receive that, but JoJo reminded her they both needed to work on receiving as much as giving. And James had said if he couldn’t spend what he’d made in the NFL on his gorgeous wife, what was it good for? How could Sadie refuse that?
James looked her way and smiled.
They were a team now. A family. And Sadie couldn’t think of a better Christmas present than that.
The End