A Christmas to Cherish (A Festive Christmas #4)

Chapter 5

Chapter Five

“ W hat if I want Santa to bring me a new house with my own room?”

“I want a big, shaggy dog.”

A chorus of agreement rose as the kids formed a half-circle around a harried-looking group of librarians, who were standing with their backs pressed against each other. Smiling, they led the children to the tables pressed against each other, jars of crayons and pencils on display. One by one, the kids pulled out chairs, sank into bean bags, and stretched out on the carpeted hardwood floors to write.

From the corner of her eye, Emma glanced at one kid with spiky blond hair who wouldn’t stop tugging on an older-looking librarian’s pant leg. Dressed in greens and reds, she looked like something out of one of her storybooks, and it filled Emma with a longing and ache for simpler times in her life.

She remembered participating in the Santa’s letter workshop.

She’d spent many afternoons in that very corner, with shelves upon shelves of books on either side of her, lost to her own world: a world where she’d dreamed of a happier family, no braces, and a future full of fighting evil and delivering justice.

Back when she believed everything was possible.

Emma sighed as she stroked the spine of the nearest book and recalled what it felt like to feed off that energy, of the magical belief that Christmas was special, a time when miracles happened around every corner. When she blinked, she saw her eight-year-old self holding a candy cane in one hand and scribbling furiously with the other.

When had she stopped believing in magic, in the good the world had to offer?

Right around the time you took on your first case as a family lawyer.

It had hit her when she handled the custody case for a little girl whose father ended up charming the pants off the judge and jurors, only to disappear a few short months later, having kidnapped his daughter.

Thinking of that case and how it had changed everything still haunted her.

The day she received the news of Andrea Johnson’s disappearance was the day she lost hope.

It felt like she’d failed the little girl by not being able to expose her father for the snake he was.

With a slight shake of her head, Emma wandered farther through the aisles, skimming through several articles, only to find that none of them were what she wanted. In the astronomy section, she took a deep breath and saw a younger version of herself, legs dangling over her father’s shoulders as he spoke in a hushed tone, painting a picture of the stars for her—of the worlds that existed just out of reach.

Henry had been a little more present then, and he used to talk to her about the cosmos at length.

“I’m so excited about the solar eclipse.”

Emma paused with her hand on the spine of a volume on astronomy and waited.

“Did you hear that the eclipse is going to reveal the secret to some lost Sullivan treasure? You know, I always knew there must be more to that family. You remember what they used to say about the grandfather?”

“Yeah, he wasn’t altogether right in the head, but he loved his mysteries.”

“Like father, like son.”

“Maybe he hid the treasure because of how paranoid he got in the end.”

Emma swiveled to face them, but the two silver-haired women had already ambled away, arms linked together and shoes squeaking against the floors. She debated whether or not to follow them before shaking her head and fishing her phone out of her pocket. Her father picked up on the fifth ring, sounding distant and unfocused.

“I was in the middle of something important. Is everything okay?”

Emma blew out a breath, and her eyes swept over a few more books, a strange niggling in the center of her stomach. “Yeah, it’s fine, I think. I was at the library. I thought I’d brush up on the eclipse since it’s a rare event and all, and I heard these women talking about some treasure.”

Henry sighed. “Since when do you pay attention to idle gossip?”

“Since it has to do with our family.”

Henry’s voice was stiff when he spoke again. “What are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about the fact they seem to be under the impression that the eclipse is going to reveal the whereabouts of the infamous Sullivan family treasure. Any idea what it could be?”

He was quiet for so long that Emma thought he’d hung up.

Slowly, she pulled the phone away from her and pressed it back again. “Hello? Are you still there?”

“You shouldn’t waste your time on imagined myths and folklore. There’s plenty of books here if you want to learn about the eclipse.”

Emma twirled a lock of hair around her finger. “Well, yeah, I know it’s probably not true, but I thought you might have some idea of why this rumor started or how to get to the bottom of it.”

Whenever she caught snippets of conversation around town, it was all anyone could talk about.

At least it gave them something else to fixate on, other than her impromptu trip.

Emma hated being the center of attention—she always had—and digging into the lore of local myths and traditions gave her something else to focus on.

Having to deal with her parents was bad enough on its own, but being forced to interact with them around the holidays, a time that carried too many painful memories of bare Christmas trees, half-wrapped presents, and whispered arguments behind closed doors, was too much. She had imagined her parents had moved past treating the holidays like any other day. During her last years in the house, they’d made a conscious effort to turn things around, having been determined to get into the Christmas spirit.

Why had they regressed?

It almost made her want to go back to the comfort of Boston.

In the hustle and bustle of the city, she could barely hear her own thoughts, much less have time to dwell on them.

Rockport was different.

She was different.

Hours later, with Henry gone on one of his usual moonlight outings, Emma crept into his study and rifled through the drawers. When she found an annotated map in a hidden compartment, she held it up to the window and snapped a few pictures. Jules’s voice jolted her back to the present, and she hastily rolled up the map and shoved it back. In the living room, Jules and Marie were curled up on the couch while The Holiday played in the background.

Emma reached for the scarf and hat behind the door. “I’m going to the library to get some work done. Don’t wait up for me.”

Jules stuffed a handful of buttered popcorn in her mouth and twisted to look at her. “Now? Are they even still open?”

“For another hour or two.” Emma wound the scarf around her neck and pulled the hat over her ears. Then, she shoved her arms into the gray puffer jacket and swatted a wayward lock of hair out of her eyes. “Don’t stop the movie on my account. Do you want me to pick up anything on the way back, Mom?”

Marie glanced over her shoulder, a soft smile playing on the edge of her lips. “No, thank you, sweetheart. Good luck with your work.”

Emma stuffed her feet into a pair of boots and unlocked the door.

As soon as she set foot outside, a blast of cold wind hit her in the face, making her eyes water. She rubbed her hands together, considering going back inside, and frowned. Trudging through the snow-covered lawn, she was panting by the time she made it to the car. Emma was still cold when she pulled up to the empty parking spot across the street from the library.

Inside, it smelled like candy canes and cinnamon-scented air freshener.

Emma was still rubbing her fingers and blowing hot air onto them when she collided with a small figure, and they both nearly ended up sprawled on the ground. At the last second, she righted herself, and her hand darted out to help the librarian, who looked up into Emma’s face and squeaked, her hazel eyes growing wide as saucers.

“I’d heard you were back.” Marley pushed her glasses up her nose and tugged on the edges of her red sweater. “I was hoping to see you.”

“It’s good to see you too, Marley.” Emma’s lips lifted into a half-smile. “I didn’t know you worked here.”

“You know how much I love books,” Marley replied, pausing to tuck a lock of chestnut brown hair behind her ear. “I figured what better way to put that to good use?”

Emma made a vague hand gesture. “It suits you.”

Marley, whose eyes had been darting listlessly left and right, drew herself up to her full height and gave her a genuine smile. “Thank you. You look good. The city life agrees with you.”

Emma grimaced. “Not really, but that’s nice of you to say.”

Of all the people in all the world…

Running into her former best friend, Marley Rose, at the library shouldn’t have surprised her. Even when they were kids, Marley had always preferred quiet corners where she could sit and bury her head in a book. As the youngest of five siblings, she’d had the unfortunate luck of being overlooked by most of her family, and it was Emma who first noticed her.

Emma had taken one look at her from across the playground during recess and had immediately liked her.

For years, the two of them had been inseparable.

Even Emma and Jack becoming an item hadn’t stopped them. On the contrary, Marley, who kept to herself and didn’t open up to people, had taken an immediate liking to Jack, and the three of them had become glued at the hip. All of those late-night study sessions, the whispered conversations as they stayed up late in bed, giggling to each other, and the dances where they’d huddled in a corner, laughing amongst themselves, came back to Emma then.

She was hit with a wave of nostalgia more powerful than anything she’d ever felt, and it surprised her.

Emma hadn’t expected to feel this strongly about seeing her childhood best friend or have the memory of their falling out hit her with a wave of regret and dismay over how she’d left things.

When Marley leaned in for a hug, Emma didn’t stop her.

She squeezed her eyes shut and remembered the last time she’d seen Marley, days before her college graduation, with her best friend on the brink of tears.

Emma knew it was her fault.

She was the one who hadn’t done anything to repair the rift between them, and all these years later, she wanted to kick herself for it.

Marley cleared her throat and glanced down at the book Emma was holding. “Are you doing some research for the eclipse? It’s all anyone can talk about.”

Emma shifted from one foot to the other and gave her a sheepish smile. “I was hoping to find out more about it and the rumored Sullivan treasure…”

Marley gave her a mischievous smile, and they were suddenly under the bleachers again, trading candy and swapping stories. “I had a feeling you would. I don’t know as much as I would like, but you’ve come to the right place.”

Emma blinked. “I have?”

Marley nodded and made a sweeping hand gesture. “I know every nook and cranny of this place, so I should be able to help.”

Emma fumbled in her pockets before pulling out her phone. “I found this map online. Supposedly, it shows the exact location of where the treasure is buried.”

She didn’t like lying to her friend, but she wasn’t ready to share the truth yet, either.

Not when she had no idea what, exactly, that was.

Marley’s skirt swished as she reached forward and took the phone out of Emma’s hand. “This is a very detailed map. Yeah, it should be able to help.”

Emma’s heart beat faster. “Really?”

Marley gestured to Emma, who fell into step beside her as they ventured deeper into the library, with its high, arched ceilings, stained glass windows, and the lingering smell of almonds and vanilla that grew as they progressed.

“Let’s start with the astronomy section.” Marley placed both hands on her hips, and her eyebrows drew together. “Maybe we should split up to cover more ground.”

Emma couldn’t help the laugh that fell from her lips. “You haven’t changed a bit, Marley Rose.”

And she was glad that, for now at least, Marley didn’t appear to be holding any grudges regarding their failed friendship.

Emma wished her own feelings regarding the matter weren’t as complicated.

As glad as she was to see Marley, she also couldn’t shake the guilt and regret that had settled in the pit of her stomach, reminding her of the role she’d played in ending their friendship.