Chapter 18 #2
In the end, I decided to vote for the other pecan because voting for my own pie would be weird, and the orange was a cool spin on a classic.
Seth stepped over to the glass jar after all votes had been cast, even the twins’, and began to tally numbers.
After he had them all done, he walked over to a cabinet and pulled out a candle. “Okay, we have our winner. If I call your number, please come up and accept this re-gifted pumpkin-marshmallow-scented candle.”
Everyone burst into laughter, including myself, and Seth held up the winning candle, staring at his grandmother.
“And the winner is…pie number…” He said nothing for a moment, pausing for effect.
“Come on!” the twins said in unison.
“Four!” he cried out, and I gasped in shock.
Maggie looked over at me, beaming. “Was that your pecan pie, dear? The cardamom was genius. I voted for it.”
I just nodded, taken completely by surprise that I’d won.
“It was phenomenal. I’m going to have more,” Seth’s youngest brother, Mark, said.
“Your pumpkin was good, too, Mark. You listened when I taught you all those years ago,” Maggie told Seth’s little brother.
He grinned at her, and I thought it was sweet that the pumpkin was his and he’d learned the recipe from Maggie when growing up. It was good.
I walked over to Seth in a daze, grinning. “I’ve never won anything before,” I told him.
He handed me the scented candle. “Well, I’m sorry this isn’t a better prize.”
I smiled at him, taking the candle and clutching it to my chest as I leaned in to smell the pumpkin-marshmallow scent. It was pretty strong, but I was proud of my win.
Everyone clapped, even the twin boys, but then they quickly started fighting over who would get to smell my candle first.
“Okay, I think it’s time for bed, you two.” Sarah swooped in and grabbed the boys, one on each hip. She looked back at me, smiling. “Loved meeting you, Ella. Hope to see you at the Fourth of July BBQ.”
“She’ll be there,” Maggie told Sarah.
“I will?” I asked.
Seth nodded. “You will. I need you on my team.”
I frowned in confusion.
Maggie leaned in close to me. “There is a cookout in town with three awards. Best BBQ, best chili, and best savory pie. Seth’s never won all three.”
“Ahh, I see,” I told her.
“He needs the best pie,” she whispered.
Now, it made sense. “You’re just using me for my baking?” I shot across the room at Seth.
He patted his belly. “Can you blame me?”
“Why don’t you enter with him?” I asked Maggie.
She grinned proudly. “I’m one of the judges.”
I smiled at her, feeling my cheeks hurt from so much happiness. Then a yawn pulled at my lips and I covered my mouth.
“Let me drive you home. Roads are icy,” Seth said as he crossed the room.
It was only eight p.m., but I was exhausted. Pregnancy took more out of my energy than I’d thought it would.
I nodded to him, pulling out my keys and handing them over. I wasn’t going to argue. I hated driving on ice, even when it was just down the road.
“Bye, darling.” Maggie pulled me in for a giant hug. “See you Wednesday?”
“Wouldn’t miss it,” I told her. Widow group was my only social life. If I stopped going, I’d never leave the house but for work.
I held on to her, forgetting how much I loved hugs and how good James had been at them. Every day, at least three times a day, he’d just pull me into his arms and hug me. And now…other than Honey, no one touched me.
Maggie held on for as long as I did, and I began to grow embarrassed. Pulling away from her, I gave a nervous laugh.
But she just beamed at me in her usual way. “Merry Christmas, darling.”
I said goodbye to everyone else and then followed Seth out to my car, where he opened the door for me before getting in himself.
It was indeed icy. “You okay to walk back?” I asked him.
He nodded. “Brought my crampons.”
I frowned. “Crampons?”
He laughed. “Little metal spike attachments for the bottom of your shoe. I’ll have to get you some.”
When he pulled up to my house, he walked me up to the front porch.
“Thanks for inviting me. You have a lovely family,” I told him.
He nodded. “It’s an open invitation. We enjoy having you around.”
I rubbed my arms, and he pulled something out of his jacket pocket. A small, wrapped present. My heart began to beat wildly in my chest.
“Seth, I didn’t know we were doing gifts.”
He waved me off. “It’s a small silly thing I saw in town and thought of you. Merry Christmas, Ella.” He handed it to me and then leaned in to kiss my cheek. Warmth flooded my body as exhilaration shot through me, immediately followed by guilt. It was too soon for these feelings.
I could see the slice of regret cross his face as he pulled away, which meant I was showing my emotions.
“Night,” I said, and he stepped off the porch and headed home on foot, snow falling on his shoulders and his head.
With a sigh, I stepped inside and was greeted by Honey.
“Hey, pretty girl.” I stroked her feathers. “What do you think he got me?” I asked her as she pecked at the wrapping paper wildly, tearing a hole in it.
Once I finished unwrapping it, I could see that it was a folded-up T-shirt. Unfolding the cloth, I laughed out loud at the screen-printed words.
Chicken Mama with a picture of a chicken wearing a diaper. I smiled. It was a thoughtful gift, and he was a thoughtful man. But the more time I spent with him, the more I wondered if I was erasing or tarnishing James’s memory.