Chapter 29
Claire sipped her coffee and stared out the window at the frothy surf and thick fog hovering over the water.
She finally felt like her own fog was lifting.
It was the first week of December, and the Christmas Stroll was that weekend.
She smiled wryly at the ambitious thought she’d had about reopening the shop for the holiday weekend.
There was no way. She just didn’t have the energy to do it, and she didn’t want to leave Maddie all day yet either.
She’d just given Maddie a bottle, and now she was sleeping peacefully.
Claire enjoyed the temporary quiet. It was Monday, and Marsha was at work, and Lily was in school.
Rachel and Cody had both called and visited often, and she welcomed spending time with both of them.
Cody had messaged earlier that he might bring lunch by and planned to pick up the turkey sandwiches they both liked from the Corner Store.
Claire had a lot of time to think about the future since she’d been home with Maddie.
She’d loved staying with her mother, but she always knew that would be temporary, especially since she knew that Marsha had put her plans on hold for Warren to move in.
She didn’t want to make them wait any longer than necessary.
She’d been looking online and had put the word out to Rachel and the women in the book club to let her know if they heard of any year-round rentals.
Claire wanted to wait a bit before buying.
She figured if she rented for a year or two, that would give her time to build the business even more, so then she’d be more apt to be approved for a mortgage.
She knew they would want to see several years of bank statements and that they looked even more closely at self-employed applicants.
She didn’t want to put all her cash into a house, as she felt safer having money in the bank for emergencies and in case the shop didn’t do as well as she hoped.
Rachel had called yesterday about a rental that sounded perfect.
It hadn’t even hit the market yet, and the owner preferred to rent to a friend of a friend.
Claire brought Maddie with her to look at it that afternoon.
It was a small Cape with three bedrooms and a small room that could be an office or den.
It wasn’t on the water, but it had a sliver of a view, and the ocean was a five-minute walk away.
It was neat and clean and was nicely furnished.
The owner was a friend of Rachel’s mother.
“We’re giving Arizona a try. It might be better for my husband’s allergies and my arthritis.
But we want to hold on to the house for a few years in case we change our minds.
If we do, we’ll come back. If we don’t, we’ll either turn it into a summer rental or sell it.
That sofa is only a year old. Everything is in very good condition, as you can see. ”
“It’s all lovely. It’s perfect for what I’m looking for.”
“Good. If you want it, it’s yours. We’re heading to Scottsdale the week before New Year’s Eve.”
“I definitely want it.” Claire wrote out a check on the spot and was told to stop in after Christmas to get the key.
She told her mother and Lily the news at dinner that night, and they were both shocked.
“I’ve gotten used to having you both here. But I understand that you want your own place.” Her mother grinned. “Warren will, of course, be thrilled to hear this.”
“What is the address?” Lily asked. Claire told her, and Lily looked it up online. “Cool, that’s not far from here. I can still walk to Teddy’s from there.”
Cody showed up at noon sharp with two sandwiches and bags of chips.
Maddie had just eaten again and was half asleep in her vibrating chair.
She perked up when she saw Cody and threw her arms up in the air.
He grinned at her, and she smiled. Cody set the food down and scooped Maddie up.
She immediately put her hands on his chin and smiled again.
They were adorable together. Cody bounced her in his arms and walked around the room chatting to her.
She gazed up at him until her eyes grew heavy again, and he settled her back in her chair.
He joined Claire at the table, and she filled him in on the rental news while they ate.
“So you’re moving into your own place? That’s great. And you’re not going to open for the Stroll?”
She shook her head. “Not this year. Maybe next year. Definitely next year. You’ll be open though, right?”
“I don’t think so. I looked back at last year’s numbers. There was a lot of foot traffic coming in, but sales were low. People aren’t looking to buy furniture that weekend. It’s all about smaller Christmas stuff. I do have an idea though.”
“What’s that?”
“When was the last time you went to the Christmas Stroll?”
She laughed. “It has been years. A really long time.”
“Let’s go. We can play tourist and enjoy the day and soak up the Christmas spirit.”
Claire hesitated. “I’d love to. But I have Maddie.”
“You could bring her. I’d love to go with both of my girls.”
Claire appreciated the offer. But she liked the idea of going with just Cody. “I could see if my mother wouldn’t mind watching her.”
He nodded. “It’ll be fun. You haven’t really gotten out much since you had Maddie, have you?”
“No. I went to book club last month, and I’ve gone grocery shopping a few times, but that’s it.”
“I’m sure your mother will say yes then, don’t you think?”
She smiled. “Yes, as long as she isn’t busy, I don’t think she’ll mind.”
“Great, it’s a date then. Or it could be a date—if you want it to be? I mean now that you’re moving out and all, maybe you’re ready to move on?” The question took Claire by surprise at first, and when she didn’t respond right away, he added, “Or not. No worries either way.”
But Claire was thinking that she might finally be ready.
“It could be a date.”
A big smile spread across Cody’s face and lit up his eyes. “I can’t wait.”
Marsha was happy to watch Maddie so Claire and Cody could spend the afternoon at the Stroll. Lily and Teddy were going too. Lily was excited about her first Stroll and had bought a new pair of red knit gloves and a matching hat to go with her warm black down jacket.
Claire dressed similarly in a long ivory down coat, pink hat and scarf, and matching mittens. Cody picked her up at two, and they headed downtown. They parked at the shop and walked over to Main Street. It started to snow lightly as they walked, which made the whole setting feel magical.
Downtown was as crowded as a busy summer weekend, and it was odd to see after it had been so slow in recent weeks. So many women strolled by in their finest mink and beaver fur coats. All the shops had window decorations, and many were handing out mulled cider or hot chocolate and candy or cookies.
There was a cookie-decorating table by the bank at the top of Main Street, and Cody led Claire over so they could participate.
Each got a blank gingerbread man and found a spot at one of several big tables holding squeeze bottles of frosting.
They had a blast making their cookies look perfect, and then Claire laughed when Cody bit the head off his gingerbread man, and in a few more bites, it was gone.
She took her time nibbling on hers as they walked around. As she finished, they ran into Lily and Teddy coming out of the bookstore.
“Mom, this is incredible. Did you go to this all the time when you were a kid?” Lily asked.
Claire nodded. “We did. I guess we were pretty lucky. I forgot how wonderful the Stroll is.”
Lily and Teddy headed off toward the cookie-decorating area, and Claire and Cody went inside the bookshop.
Mitchell’s Book Corner was right on Main Street, and it was totally packed.
They made their way upstairs, and Claire picked out a new beach book.
She’d been doing a lot of reading since the shop had closed.
When Maddie slept, if Claire didn’t doze along with her, she usually picked up a book, especially these past few weeks now that she wasn’t as tired.
They strolled around for a few hours, going in and out of the shops, and when they’d had their fill, Cody suggested stopping into the Club Car restaurant for a drink.
That sounded good to Claire. The temperature was dropping fast, and even bundled up, she was starting to feel the cold.
They sat at the bar and ordered two glasses of cabernet. The smooth wine tasted so good to Claire after not touching alcohol for so many months.
The afternoon had flown by, and when Cody pulled up to her house, Claire hated to see it end. “Do you want to come in for a while? We can order pizza and watch a movie maybe?”
“I’d like that.” Cody looked thrilled actually, and Claire felt all warm and fuzzy inside.
Cody had become so much more than a good friend.
She had looked forward to seeing him every day at the shop, even if it was just for a brief hello in passing.
As the summer ended, they were regularly spending so much time together.
And she’d never questioned it. She enjoyed his company and wanted to keep spending more time with him.
When he took her to the hospital and then offered to leave was when she realized how badly she wanted him to stay. Since she’d been home with Maddie and hadn’t seen him almost every day, she really missed him, and she’d been doing a lot of thinking—about what she wanted and about the future.
She didn’t know what the future held exactly, but she knew that she wanted to spend more time with Cody. And for them to be more than friends.
Maybe, just maybe, it would be possible for her to find love again?