Mindi
I walked up the front steps of the porch and opened the door, stepping into the warm house.
Snow had been falling since I’d started cleaning up the tree lot this morning.
I kicked my boots off and shrugged out of my coat, making my way into the living room where Sarah sat on the couch, her books in front of her, trying to decide which ones to take and which to donate.
“Want some hot chocolate?” I asked, warming my hands by the fire.
“No.” She sighed, a sad look on her face.
“Are you sure? I’m going to add those little snowman marshmallows.”
“Yeah, I’m sure. I won’t be able to have those things anymore, so I figure I may as well stop having them now.”
Sarah hadn’t been herself ever since I’d told her she’d be leaving.
When she found out that she was the recipient of the town’s donations this year, she thanked everyone and then insisted that I donate everything to the less fortunate.
Even the things I’d gotten her for Christmas hadn’t put a smile on her face, which had broken my heart.
“Oh, there is a message there for you. I forgot the name of the person who called, but I wrote the number down on the paper there.”
“Ah, okay.”
I picked up the paper and made my way into the kitchen, putting the kettle on while I dialed the number on the paper. While the phone rang, I heard a knock at the front door and glanced out into the living room at Sarah.
“Can you get that?” I questioned.
Sarah nodded, getting up from where she was sitting.
“Hello, Sergeant Gardner’s office. How can I help you?” a woman’s voice said on the other end of the phone.
My stomach flipped the moment I heard whose office it was. I swallowed hard, wondering if they were sending someone early to pick up Sarah.
“Hello, this is Mindi Potts. Someone called for me.”
“Oh yes, Mindi, one moment. Sergeant Gardner wanted to speak with you before he left today.”
While I waited for the kettle to boil, I reached up and poured a handful of marshmallows into my cup, when I heard a man’s voice in the living room. I listened a little harder while I waited for the sergeant to pick up and was almost sure I heard Noah in the living room.
“Mindi, thank you for calling me back,” I heard the sergeant say, who only days ago ripped my heart from my chest when he told me they had denied my application.
“No problem. Sorry, I was outside when you called earlier.”
“No problem. Listen, I wanted to talk to you about Sarah.”
“Look, before you start, I am going to ask that you leave her with me until the agreed-upon pickup date. She is struggling, and I am trying my hardest to get her to be okay with the situation.”
“Mindi, please let me speak.”
“Okay,” I said, knowing full well that if they wanted to come and pick her up now, then that was how it was to be; there wasn’t any room to argue with them.
“Mindi, we have reconsidered your application, and I am pleased to tell you that Sarah will not be leaving Willow Valley. We are granting your request.”
I felt my heart skip a beat as the words he’d spoken sunk in. I swallowed hard, my body heating with excitement.
“Are you serious?”
“I am. You see, when the last part of the application came through over the holidays, we all agreed that Sarah would be best suited with you, and that moving her would only hinder her healing.”
I frowned at his words. What last part of the application, I wondered to myself.
“So, if you are ready to accept the responsibility of raising Sarah, the job is yours.”
“While I am thrilled with this news, may I ask what you received?”
“Yes, of course. Apparently, the last part of the application, the therapist’s report, somehow got lost with the original fax that was sent in, it came in on Christmas Eve and was waiting for me when I returned to my office on the twenty-seventh.
I immediately took it to the team, and they got back to me today, so I wanted to call before much longer to give you the news.
Congratulations, and I hope you and Sarah enjoy your New Year together. ”
“We will, thank you,” I replied, hanging up the phone.
I took a moment to digest the news, leaning against the counter, tears rolling down my cheeks as I released all the tension I’d felt since hearing their first decision.
Once I calmed down, I took a sip of my hot chocolate and made my way into the living room to see Sarah sitting with Noah, talking and laughing. They both looked my way, waiting for me to speak.
“Look who came over,” Sarah said, breaking the silence, a smile on her face for the first time in days.
“I see that.”
“Who called?” Sarah questioned.
“It was Sergeant Gardner.”
I looked over at Sarah to see the smile immediately vanish from her face.
“What did he want?”
“He called to tell me that…” I swallowed hard, overcome with emotion once again.
“To tell you what?” Sarah questioned, crossing her arms. “I’m not leaving early, am I?”
“You aren’t leaving at all,” I said, swallowing hard.
“What?” she said, lifting her eyes to me.
“I….you are staying with me. They changed their minds.”
Sarah immediately jumped up off the couch and came running to me, wrapping her arms around me tight.
“Santa answered my wish,” she cried.
I hugged her to me, not wanting to let go for fear this might be a dream. When we finally parted, Sarah grabbed her box of books and looked at both Noah and me.
“I’m off to put these back on my shelf. Can I put my Christmas lights back up too?” she asked with excitement.
“Absolutely, they are in the box at the end of the hall.”
“I know where they are,” she said, running out of the room.
After Sarah had been gone a few moments, I looked over at Noah, who sat there watching me.
“You didn’t have to do—”
“I didn’t have to, but I did. Don’t get angry, but Ethan told me everything. I wasn’t going to interfere, but I saw how unhappy you both were, and it broke me. Why didn’t you just ask me?”
It was that then the tears poured.
“I thought you hated me. I didn’t think you’d do anything for me after the other day, so I didn’t bother to ask.”
“Mindi, I read your letters.”
I looked at him, shocked. “You did?”
“I did. All of those letters were sent to the old base. They transferred me to a new base shortly after Christmas that year. It was a top-secret location, which was why you couldn’t get the information. I’d forgotten about that until I saw the address on the envelopes.”
“I don’t know what to say.”
“You don’t need to say anything. You’ve been through enough pain, and I couldn’t stand to see something else taken something from you.
That was why I stepped up and sent in the paperwork.
I wanted to see you smile again because, after reading your letters, I realized that you probably haven’t truly smiled in a long time.
I also realized the life I missed out on with you. I don’t want to waste any more time.”
“You don’t?”
“I don’t. I want to work through everything with you and move on from here. Start over, and start new.”
Tears once again flooded my eyes as I looked at him. My throat was so tight, yet I still got out a thank you before he got up from where he sat and wrapped me in his arms.
As I turned off the lights in the living room and made my way down the hall where I stopped outside of Sarah’s door. I pushed it open a little and poked my head in to see Sarah sound asleep under the glow of Christmas lights.
I leaned against the door, watching her, smiling to myself as I realized that Brooke had been right.
Willow Valley was magical at Christmas. Sarah was staying, and for that I was forever grateful.
Noah had returned, and even though things didn’t go as I’d always imagined they would, we had a new beginning ahead of us.