Chapter Twenty-Four
The store was much quieter by the time we returned from cutting down the tree, which we managed after removing our hands from each other long enough to find one.
Was it a given that the other person was right for you when you acted nineteen rather than thirty-nine?
Something told me the answer was yes, and I was here for it, even if Jaelyn was still a bit hesitant.
Had I played my cards too early or revealed too much to her about what I wanted?
Probably, but playing it the way we had been had accomplished nothing, and we were losing precious time pretending we both didn’t want the same thing.
And boy, did we both want the same thing.
Cameron had helped tie the tree to the roof of my SUV and then invited me in to warm up, which I appreciated since Jaelyn had disappeared.
I walked around the store, taken aback by the beautiful items on display.
Becca had curated a holiday collection that touched every generation.
There were children’s toys, as well as blankets and clothing for all ages.
My gaze was drawn to a collection of jewelry inside a small glass curio cabinet, which sparkled in the overhead lights.
I leaned in to get a closer look at one of them, trying to decide what the stone was.
“Red jasper,” a voice said, and I jumped, nearly falling to the side, but glad I caught myself in time. I glanced over to see Cameron standing there with a smirk on his face. “The stone in that ring. It’s red jasper.”
“I was wondering if it was agate. It’s gorgeous,” I said, standing tall again.
“It is gorgeous. We have some extremely talented artisans in Bells Pass.”
“As evidenced by this store,” I said, motioning around me. “Have you seen Jaelyn? She disappeared on me.”
“She was pulled into the office by Stephan with a question about the snack shack. They’re almost done. Do you want to sit?” He walked to a chair grouping and sat, which made it feel like a trap, but I had little choice but to join him.
“Thanks for your help with the tree. It can be tough to lift heavy or awkward objects above my head, especially with this loaner knee. It doesn’t have all the nuanced presets that I use on a day-to-day basis, so I’m trying to be smart about it.”
“I never considered that,” he said. “Would you rather I deliver the tree? I can do that if it’s easier.”
“Not at all, but thank you for offering. Down is easier than up, and Jaelyn can help me do that. I do have a question, and I wanted to ask you before I bring it up to her.”
“I’m not her father. You don’t need my permission to date her.
” I snorted, not amused by the smirk he still wore, but he leaned forward on his thighs and did the dad pose anyway.
“Becca told me you asked her about the age gap. I can’t judge, considering where I stand, but uh, I do have a lot of acres where people can get,” he motioned his hands around. “Lost.”
“I’m going to pretend you didn’t say that,” I said, only because I was a little unsure if he was serious or not. “To put your mind at ease, though, I thought we covered this before Thanksgiving. Just in case, I’ll reiterate it here today. I have no intention of hurting her.”
“You can never say that enough times,” he said with a shrug. “It’s a solid reminder for yourself as much as me, and maybe you'll think about all my lovely acreage before you do something stupid.”
“Point taken,” I said, leaning back. “However, that wasn’t remotely close to what I was going to ask you.” He motioned for me to go ahead. “I was wondering if you ever considered moving the school-to-work kids into institutional service jobs.”
“I’m not sure I understand,” he said, leaning forward again.
“Hospitals and nursing homes,” I clarified. “We’re always in need of housekeepers and food service workers at the hospital, and nursing homes and long-term care facilities are in the same boat.”
“Huh,” he said, as though I had rendered him speechless. “That was never on my radar. I wouldn’t be against it if the mentorship was there and they were willing to learn about the program and what we do.”
“I can’t see them turning down quality labor when it’s for positions that are hard to fill. It was just a thought.”
“It was a good one. Run it past Jaelyn when you have a minute. If she thinks it’s something we can undertake with a reasonable level of commitment, we can talk about it at our next planning meeting.”
“Great, will do. Thanks for hearing me out.”
“Thanks for not breaking her heart.”
Sweat rolled down my back just as the door to the store opened, and in walked Hazel, carrying a baby carrier with Irving wheeling behind her next to Star. Saved by the new parents. Cameron and I stood as she spotted us.
“Hi,” I said, kissing her gently on the cheek before I shook Irving’s hand. “It’s good to see you both. Congratulations on the new little one. I’ve been so busy at the hospital, I haven’t had a minute to stop by and meet her. How are you feeling?” I asked Hazel, who smiled.
“Tired,” she said, lowering the carrier to the floor. “But incredibly happy.”
“Can I?” I asked, pointing to the carrier that had a warm cover over it.
She lifted a flap in the center, and out peeked the sweetest little angel.
“Goodness,” I whispered, gazing at the sweet baby girl.
Her eyes were closed as she worked a pacifier in her mouth.
“The pictures didn’t do her justice. She’s stunning. ”
“Thank you,” Irving said, pride puffing out his chest. “She has a stunning pair of lungs on her as well.”
Cameron laughed louder than anyone. “Oh, how I remember those days. The good news is it gets better.”
“That's a relief,” Irving said. “Since she’s fed and happy, we decided it was time to get trees for New Beginnings. We thought we’d better come out before all the good ones are gone.”
“We would have happily delivered trees, guys,” Cameron said.
“Still hoping you will,” Hazel said with a chuckle. “But we wanted to introduce Angel to the farm and pick out the tree for our apartment. We’ll choose from the precuts this year since I’m not moving fast yet and I don’t want to take her out in the cold for long.”
“Hazel!” Jaelyn said as she walked into the room. “Irving! What are you guys doing here?”
She shared a round of hugs with them before checking on the sleeping baby. I pulled her into my side to the raised brows of Hazel and Irving, but I remained nonchalant, unwilling to take the bait. They could be protective of Jaelyn, but I was determined to prove I was the most protective of all.
“It’s T minus three weeks until Christmas, and we don’t have a tree yet,” Hazel said, making the Scream face, which made her and Jaelyn break into giggles. “That’s just unheard of, but extenuating circumstances and all that, right?”
“Right,” Jaelyn said. “If you want, you can leave Angel with me while you go pick out the trees. It’s cold, and the snow was starting when we left the cut-your-own patch.”
“It’s coming down at a decent clip now,” Irving agreed. “That might be best. We should head back before it gets worse.”
Hazel glanced at the carrier and nodded. “Okay, we’re just picking our tree from the precuts. We’ll let Cameron work his magic for the trees we’ll need at New Beginnings. We won’t be long.”
“Take your time,” Jaelyn said as she hoisted the baby carrier and carried it closer to the fireplace.
Hazel and Irving followed Cameron out the door, and I joined them by the chairs. “She’s gorgeous,” I said, sitting next to Jaelyn, where she was cradling the still sleeping Angel in her arms.
“I told Hazel she could enter her in any newborn contest and win.” She traced a finger down Angel’s tiny cheek, and my gut clenched as my gaze drifted to the cabinet with the red jasper ring.
The thought of being as rich as Irving was at this moment was overwhelming and aroused a bit of jealousy in me.
Then again, there was nothing to be jealous about when I had all the components necessary to make that dream a reality.
“Do you want to hold her?” she asked, leaning back on the couch and bringing the baby to her shoulder to rub her back.
“I’d much rather sit here and admire you with a baby in your arms. I love the way it looks on you.”
When she tipped her head to the right to smile, there was little doubt in my mind that I was already the richest man in the world.
Have yourself a merry little Christmas. Frank Sinatra’s smooth voice drifted from the speaker, where Major had connected his phone to play carols while we decorated the tree.
True to his word, he’d insisted on stopping by the storage unit to pick up the lights.
That was when he’d told me we could put the lights on, but we’d have to wait to decorate the tree until we could get to town tomorrow to buy decorations.
Turns out, it had been more than a few years since he’d had a tree.
Since I’d saved all Yaya’s decorations and ornaments along with the lights, we’d loaded those into his SUV and brought them back to the house.
By the time we arrived, we had over six inches of snow, and it was becoming dangerous to be on the roads.
I was relieved that Hazel and Irving had left the farm before we did, so I knew they were safe and sound at home.
We had pushed it a little too far and barely had our tree in the house when the wind picked up and the sky darkened.
It wasn’t long before the streetlights came on.
That alone told us this was going to be a doozy of a storm.