Christmas Eve Love Story

Thirty-Three

“Hello!” Annie said, welcoming Bea into her apartment. “Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas, everyone. Ooh, something smells divine in here.” Bea came inside, using oven mitts to carry her sweet potato casserole. She wore dark slacks and a festive Christmas sweater featuring gingerbread men and candy canes. “I’ll just set this on your stove.” She nodded at Harrington and Eric, who were already in the living room. Both held glasses of wine, and Harrington’s walker was beside his spot on the couch. Eric sat in one of the folding card table chairs he’d brought over. “Hi there. I’m Bea Holly from across the way.”

Eric stood and shut the door behind Bea before Leo escaped. “I’m Eric Park. Good to know you.” He’d dressed nicely in khakis and a green sweater. Harrington had worn a button-down shirt under his brown cardigan and had even put on a crimson-colored tie covered with green and white letters spelling Ho ho ho .

Harrington lifted his wineglass. “Harrington Bryte from 1-A downstairs.”

Annie tilted her head toward Eric. “He’s in apartment 1-B.”

“Ah-ha! Nice to finally meet my neighbors.” Bea laughed. “I’ve only lived here ten years.”

“Ten? My,” Harrington said. “I’ve been here fifteen.”

Bea deposited her casserole in the kitchen and returned. “Yes. I think I’ve seen you around.”

Harrington nodded. “We’ve passed each other down at the mailboxes, of course.”

Bea turned to Annie. “It was so nice of you to do this.”

“I know,” Eric said. “And you barely know us at all.”

Annie wiped her hands on her apron she’d inherited from her mom. “I’m glad you all could come.”

Someone knocked on the door. Annie addressed Bea. “Please, have a seat. Eric?” She caught his attention. “Can you pour Bea some wine if she wants it?”

“Sure thing.” Eric glanced at Bea, and she grinned.

“Yes, please!”

Annie opened the door, and Jane stood there with the cutest little girl in pigtails. She wore stretch pants, high-top sneakers, and a snowman sweater. “Hi!” the child announced. “I’m Cari!” She waved around the room. “I’m eight!”

“Welcome, Cari!” Annie bent down to look her in the eye and whispered, “Eight’s a great age to be.”

The kid glanced adoringly up at Jane. “That’s what Mommy says too.”

Another adult was with them, a stocky woman with short blond hair. She had on a red tartan plaid vest over a black turtleneck and jeans and held a small shopping bag. Jane wore a green dress and flat-heeled brown boots. She had a wine bottle in her hand. It was the first time Annie had seen Jane with her thick, wavy hair down, and she looked great. “I hope it’s okay that I brought Sam?” Jane asked. She shot a glance at her companion and grinned. “She kind of surprised us.”

“Of course!” Annie said. “Please come on in and let me introduce you.” She glanced at the others. “Jane and Cari are in 2-A.”

Jane handed Annie the bottle of wine. “Thought you could use another.”

“Thanks!” Annie said. “Good call.”

Sam opened her shopping bag. “We weren’t sure if you needed bread.” She extracted two baguettes in paper sleeves from her bag.

Bread. She’d totally forgotten. “Thanks,” Annie said. “That’s fantastic.” She shut the door behind them and remarked to Sam, “How lucky that you got in with the storm—all the way from Ohio.”

Jane blinked. “Wait. What? How did you—?”

“Ooh, my ears are burning,” Sam teased. “You must have told her about me.” Sam rolled her eyes, playfully nudging Jane. “It’s nice to be talked about—in a good way,” she added, and everyone laughed. “So yeah,” she told the group, “I came in by train late last night. Glad I didn’t wait until today. Might not have made it.”

The wind roared against the windows, accentuating her point.

“Not a fit day out,” Harrington quipped, “for man nor beast.”

***

Braden raised his forearm in front of him, shielding his eyes from the wind, when his face went tingly numb. A large Lawson’s shopping bag draped from the crook of his arm by its handle. It held the wrapped package containing his mom’s new coat. He gripped the poinsettia pot against his jacket, pressing ahead through the blustery winds, the plant’s red petals doused in snow.

He wasn’t leaving his mom alone this Christmas. He’d get there soon enough. Braden trudged along the sidewalk, watching his step as snow piled up higher. He wore ski pants over his jeans, and sturdy waterproof boots.

He plowed ahead down the desolate street, interior lights from the brownstones around him glowing. Several bay windows framed Christmas trees. Others, menorahs or fake candles. Many were crowned by colorful holiday lights. He saw families gathered inside, lounging around in groups, animatedly waving their hands and holding glasses of eggnog or wine.

Most folks were smart enough to stay indoors today. He might have done that too, were it not for the promise he’d made. Guilt swamped him, but he couldn’t say why. In keeping this promise to his mom, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was somehow breaking another. Did it have to do with what was written on that napkin?

He’d tucked it in his jeans pocket and brought it along, still puzzling through its meaning. Believe Annie. His mind raked back over their conversations yesterday, but they’d only engaged in surface chitchat. It wasn’t like she’d shared some enormous state secrets or had predicted the world would end. His heart stuttered. No, absurd.

Then why did today feel so much like a new beginning?

Braden passed Greenwood Cemetery, its high iron gates coated in snow. Its tombstones were covered too, appearing like white-capped waves in an ocean blanketed in foam. There wasn’t an inch of grass in sight. The wind whipped up, and a chill seeped through his veins. Despite his gloves and double layer of socks, he was losing feeling in his fingers and toes. But he kept going, focused on his goal. One hour from now he’d be sitting down at the table with his mom to a hot Christmas dinner.

A while later, Braden studied his surroundings, seeing he’d completed most of his journey. He paused at a crosswalk, out of habit more than anything. There was no one on the roads today. Winds howled as he stepped into the street and a car horn blared. Then suddenly, he was snow blinded.

***

“I have a Santa joke!” Cari crowed. They’d been swapping goofy puns for the last ten minutes while enjoying their meal. Annie had added the extra leaf to her table, and they now had eight seats crammed in around it, including one vacant place for the neighbor in 2-B in case they decided to show up.

Jane leaned toward her daughter. “Go ahead and share.”

Cari glanced around the table. “What’s Santa’s favorite kind of music?” she asked with big, dark eyes. The others watched and waited, while Harrington quietly snickered.

Cari sat up straighter in her chair. “Wrap!” she proclaimed, beaming.

Laughter rang out, filling the small kitchen.

“That’s a good one,” Harrington said. “Plus, it reminds me.” He dug into his shirt pocket under his cardigan sweater and passed something to Annie. “I meant to give you this. I found it packed away with some of my Christmas decorations. I thought someone as young and pretty as you could use it,” he said, flirting a bit.

Annie stared down at the shiny plastic green leaves and round white berries. “Mistletoe?” she asked, looking up. She chuckled lightly. “I’m not sure I’ll have much need for this.”

“Nonsense!” Bea said. “It’s the holidays. You never know.”

Jane smiled at Annie. “True.”

“What about you, Eric?” Harrington asked. “Seeing anyone?”

Annie gasped and pushed his arm. “Harrington!”

“Just kidding.” He winked at Eric. “I have an eye on her myself.”

Annie squared her shoulders. “I do like older men.” Not forty years older, but still. Three or four years sounded good. Ooh, how she wished she knew how Braden was doing.

“Please pass the salt and pepper, Annie,” Harrington said, snapping her back to attention. Harrington took another forkful of corn pudding. “Everything’s delicious.”

Even though Harrington had clearly been teasing about Eric possibly being available for Annie, Eric still looked a little embarrassed by the insinuation, given that they were the only two younger—and apparently single—folks in the room. “I do have a girlfriend,” he admitted sheepishly. “She’s back in LA.”

“How sweet!” Bea said, ever the romantic. “What’s her name?”

“Jasmine.”

“Like the flower.” Harrington glanced at Eric. “You two been together long?”

“Just over a year,” Eric answered. “She’s in film school there.”

“Well, good for you!” Jane told him.

Harrington toasted him with his wineglass. “When it’s right, it’s right.”

Jane winked at Eric, rolling her eyes toward Sam. “We know a thing or two about long-distance.”

“Boy, do we ever.” Sam took Jane’s hand and squeezed it.

Annie recalled Braden taking her hand, and her heart sighed. Would he remember that too, or anything about her? She trusted that—at the very least—he’d broken out of the time loop, same as she had. She hoped he was okay and enjoying Christmas with his mom by now.

Eric reached over and refilled the empty wineglasses from his seat beside Harrington. “Can’t say when I remember tasting stuffing this good.”

The others concurred.

Sam rested her knife on the side of her plate. “Everything is super tasty.”

Annie smiled around the table, glad her food had turned out all right. “Thanks, everyone.” She turned to Bea. “Your sweet potato casserole’s to die for. I want the recipe.”

Jane nodded, chowing down. “Same!” She dabbed her mouth with her napkin and leaned toward Annie, lowering her voice. “I wanted to thank you, by the by”—she glanced at Cari, who was engaged in conversation with Sam and Bea—“for the little surprise you sent our way. The kid was super happy . Over the moon.”

Annie angled toward her and whispered, “It wasn’t me.” She darted a look at Cari. “It was Santa.” When the store Santa had seen her looking at the box, he’d asked if she was buying it for anybody special. That had given her the idea to do something special for Jane—and Cari.

“Santa? Yeah, right.” Jane nudged Annie’s shoulder with hers. “In any case, thank you, but that was too big a gift. I aim to pay you back.”

“Oh no, you don’t have—”

“In cups of coffee,” Jane finished, smiling, and Annie laughed.

“In that case,” Annie replied. “Maybe I’ll let you.”

Jane nodded. “Good.”

Having coffee with Jane sounded fine. She hoped they could become real friends someday. She was liking everyone here so much, all these awesome folks in her building. She was glad she’d had the inspiration to invite them over, and that they’d all said yes.

Bea gestured to the empty chair. “Shame that whoever’s in 2-B couldn’t join us. Does anyone know them?”